The Devil's Temptation
by JFantasy95
Summary: After three months have passed, Heidi has been living peacefully with the Winx Club and the Specialists. With her friends' help, she is dedicated to improve her life and heal wounds from her tragic past. Little do they know, a new threat lurks in the abyss. A detrimental and sinister threat. This is a sequel to "Fairy of Warfare."
1. The Crimson Entity

**This is a VERY SHORT chapter, but it's pretty good.**

**I decided to upload this sequel faster for two reasons:**

**1.) I was very excited to upload it.**

**2.) Hurricane Sandy is affecting many people's power, so I uploaded it before it takes MY power.**

**Hope you enjoy this sequel and comment!**

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The vibrant city lights of Magix illuminated the night sky. The civilians roamed around the city, shopping at popular fashion districts, dining out at exquisite restaurants, and partying at kaleidoscopic nightclubs. The atmosphere in Magix was full of vivacity.

On top of the highest skyscraper of Magix, an enigmatic and towering entity stood on edge. He remained in the dark, where the city lights did not reach. His fluorescent crimson eyes pierced through the sheer black and gazed down at the city view in contempt. The entity pulled out a cigarette from his pack and placed it in his mouth. Without the use of a lighter, he kindled the butt of the cigarette with his own will. He grabbed the cigarette with his fingers and exhaled the murky chemicals. Behind the figure, a mist of shadows formed into a body. The figure was a very tall individual whose height was as close as the entity. He wore an obscure mask and a detailed armor with a thin cape, which was lightweight. Once he appeared, the entity sensed his presence.

"Look at this view," said the entity, in a cool sonorous voice, while gazing at Magix, "What do you see? A city full of dreams and hope? Do not be deceived by its counterfeit appearance. Those dreams and hope they live off of are corrupt. They were created from vile methods. Those pathetic vermins know nothing but to feed off of false pleasure. How lowly and disgraceful. However, these vermins are not the only ones who are foolish. A multitude of realms in this dimension is under the same curse. I will destroy this wretched curse and bring valid dreams and hope to this entire dimension. In the end, we will all live in a utopia, where there is no corruption."

The entity spotted a nightclub, which was filled with energetic partygoers. After exhaling his last breath of the murky chemicals from the cigarette, he kindled its butt into a miniscule fire once more. Then, he threw the cigarette forcefully at the nightclub. When the cigarette reached over to the nightclub, a scarlet conflagration immediately ignited. The frightened civilians screamed horrifically at this unexpected event. While few partygoers rushed out of the nightclub, many came out with caustic burns or caught on fire; some of them were still trapped inside the burning building. Sirens of the rescue team's vehicles were heard faintly from the distance. After seeing what the entity had caused, he turned around and walked away from the edge.

"Enough with the sightseeing. It is time to depart," ordered the entity.

The warrior silently obeyed and followed his master. A mist of black shadows formed around these two individuals as they took each step forward. After a brief moment, they vanished into the night's darkness.


	2. The Sparring Match

**Sorry for the LATE update! I was very busy with school assignments and college preparation.**

**I just finished two applications for colleges, but I still have more to do.**

**This chapter may be a little messy because:**

**1.) I was slightly rushing through it because of my impatience.**

**2.) I haven't written in a while.**

**Hope you guys understand and enjoy this chapter. Don't forget to comment!**

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The dismissal bell rang blatantly across Alfea, alarming the fairies that classes were over. Once this bell was heard, the students immediately grabbed all their belongings and left their classrooms in great enthusiasm. Today was the end of midterm week, rendering all students to feel relief and freedom. Now that everyone has taken their midterms, it is finally time for them to take a vacation.

"Yes, I'm free!" exclaimed Stella, throwing her arms up in exuberance, "I have been waiting for this day for so long!"

Bloom giggled at Stella's humorous eagerness. "I'm glad that you feel free now, Stella."

"I am so excited for vacation!" Stella jittered avidly.

"How did you girls do on your midterms?" asked Tecna, ruining Stella's moment of happiness.

"I think totally rocked my all of my midterms! I studied a lot for them," said Musa, confidently.

"The midterms for potionology, metamorphology, and magiphilosophy went well for me since they're my greatest strengths. I think I did okay on my other midterms," said Bloom.

"Botany, food science, and visual arts went very well for me," said Flora.

"I know I aced magical gym, dance, and foreign languages," said Layla.

Stella slouched and groaned, "I know I screwed up on all my midterms."

"You should have studied more instead of shopping," admonished Tecna.

"Hey, I didn't spend most of my time on shopping! I studied a lot too," defended Stella.

"I think your midterms are going to turn out okay, Stella," comforted Bloom.

"Okay, there is no doubt that Heidi aced all of her midterms. After all, she is a living encyclopedia and calculator," said Stella, crossing her arms with her eyes closed. Briefly, Stella opened her eyes and looked around. "Speaking of Heidi, where in the world is she?"

"Heidi is in my last period class. Right after she finished her biomagic midterm, she left with all of her belongings and the professor didn't seem bothered with her leaving," said Tecna.

"I wonder where she went," marveled Bloom.

"Heidi is currently at Red Fountain," spoke a stern voice.

When the Winx heard this familiar voice, they turned around and saw Griselda, standing four feet away from them.

"Red Fountain? Why is Heidi there?" asked Musa.

"Headmaster Saladin requested Heidi to come over to Red Fountain and help assist the upperclassmen in combat. The six of you girls may go to Red Fountain and find her. You have permission from both the headmaster and headmistress," said Griselda, walking away from the Winx.

After learning about Heidi's whereabouts, the Winx exchanged looks of surprise with each other.

* * *

At Red Fountain, a horde of lowerclassmen rushed over to the combat center and crowded inside the observation room. From the observation room, they watched the intense sparring match between the upperclassmen and Heidi with excitement and fascination. Despite the advantage the upperclassmen had in number, they were still overpowered by her incredible set of skills. Without the use of weapons, Heidi single handedly took them down as they came charging towards her. After defeating many of the upperclassmen, Heidi darted her intense eyes at the remaining specialists: Sky, Brandon, Helia, Riven, and Timmy. The Specialists became very intimidated after what she had done to their classmates.

"Holy shit!" remarked Riven.

"I still can't shake off the amazement I get when I see Heidi in combat," said Brandon, feeling both amazed and hesitant at the same time.

"She will be an absolute challenge," said Helia.

"Guys, I am really terrified right now," confessed Timmy, who was shaking in fear.

"Don't be afraid, Timmy. This is only combat training; Heidi won't hurt us too badly," assured Sky.

"Uh, are you sure about that?!" asked Brandon, pointing out the defeated upperclassmen who were moaning in pain.

"Cut the chatting and show me what you got, boys!" shouted Codatorta, who was watching from the distance.

"Damn it!" groaned Riven.

Although the Specialists were the Winx's boyfriends, Heidi did not seem to care at all. She plans to treat them the same way she did towards the other upperclassmen. After taking couple of deep breaths and shaking off their nerves, the Specialists instigated the fight. When it finally came down to Heidi and the Specialists, the energy in the observation room escalated. It was going to be very entertaining to watch the strongest pack fight against the supersoldier.

"Excuse me! Coming through!" Bloom said politely, pushing her way through the lowerclassmen.

"Move out of the way!" imperiously shouted Stella, pushing the lowerclassmen with force.

Right after learning about Heidi's whereabouts, the Winx immediately left Alfea for Red Fountain. Once they arrived at their destination they rushed to the combat center, where the event was taking place. When they finally reached to the front view, their eyes became enlarged in surprise.

The Specialists incorporated their sharp skills to fight against their adamant opponent; however, despite their great abilities in combat, they were struggling. Heidi effortlessly avoided and blocked their attacks without making any errors.

Riven slashed his long saber in powerful and swift strokes, but he was unable to hit Heidi. Her agile movements hindered the maverick's attempts to strike her. When Riven swung his saber down vertically, he missed again. Before he could lift his weapon back up, Heidi immediately stepped on the harmless edge of his saber. Then, she knee-kicked in the abdomen, causing him to drop his saber. Once he finally let his guard loose, Heidi jabbed, cross-punched, and hook-punched him multiple times. Finally, she finished the fight by performing an uppercut.

Helia, standing ten feet away from Heidi, held up his arm straight up and aimed his fist at her. Once he finally had his aim, he launched laser strings from his glove. The laser strings successfully tied themselves around her wrists, disabling her from using her arms. Before Helia could paralyze her, Heidi approached him in a dashing speed and confronted him very closely. With her arms tied behind her back, she performed several roundhouse kicks on the pacifist. Despite having her arms tied behind her back, Heidi showed excellent balance and control. For the final blow, she swept him off his feet by performing a low reverse roundhouse kick.

Right after Heidi defeated Helia, Brandon came into the scene and diagonally slashed his broadsword. Heidi jumped out of the way in time and backed away. Then, she brought her malleable arms from behind back over to the front of her body. Brandon enlarged his eyes in shock when he saw this bizarre contortion. The witnesses at the observation room twisted their faces in shock and disgust. After she brought her arms to the front, she broke herself free from the laser strings. Brandon recovered from the shock and charged towards her. Although his skills in swordsmanship were great, he had no luck in hitting her. Using the laser strings that she had in her hand, Heidi used one of them as a lasso and tied it around Brandon's broadsword. She pulled his weapon away and unarmed the squire. With no other weapons in his possession, Brandon had no other choice but to resort to hand-to-hand combat. He threw several punches and kicks at her, but he continued to miss Heidi as she blocked and dodged them. When Brandon threw a very sturdy fist, Heidi blocked it with the palm of her hand and wrapped her slender fingers around it. Brandon threw another fist at Heidi, but she also caught that one. Tightening her fingers around his hand and pressuring her palm against his knuckles began to render Brandon in pain. Finally, Heidi performed a headbutt on Brandon, causing him to fall on the floor.

Sky held up his longsword and positioned himself offensively. Heidi stared at Sky with focus and indifference. The prince finally made his move and attacked. As Sky slashed his weapon around, he proved that his power, speed, and technique were superb; however, Heidi still remained the dominant fighter. The lethal supersoldier struck Sky with powerful punches and kicks, causing him to lose balance and control. Unexpectedly, Heidi threw herself on Sky's back and wrapped herself on him like a boa constrictor. Discomfort and pain struck Sky as he felt Heidi's slender but toned muscles crush him. Once he dropped his longsword, Heidi loosened herself halfway and maneuvered her body around Sky with incredible flexibility. Finally, she wrapped her arm around his neck and flipped him over to the ground forcefully. This intriguing move caused the lowerclassmen to exclaim in amazement.

Last but not least, Timmy was up next. He was the only member of the Specialists left in the arena. After defeating Riven, Helia, Brandon, and Sky, Heidi turned around and stared at her last opponent. Timmy became petrified once he saw Heidi staring at him. The fight did not even start yet and the intelligent hero has begun to sweat. He could feel his heart race erratically and tremors shake up his whole body. Timmy looked like a nervous wreck and it showed. When he took his eyes off of Heidi and looked up at the observation room, he surprisingly saw Tecna. He saw girlfriend looking anxiously at him. After seeing Tecna, he looked away and closed his eyes. He closed his hands into fists and took a deep breath. Timmy opened his eyes and wore the look of confidence and bravery. He pulled out his gun from his holster and began shooting. Heidi ran around the arena in an accelerating speed and performed vigorous acrobatics to dodge the laser beams. After shooting multiple laser beams, Timmy ran out of energy in his gun. He tossed his gun to the side and drew out his rapier. Timmy wrapped both of his hands around the grip of his rapier and let out fierce battle scream. He charged up to Heidi and swung his weapon at her. Despite his efforts, he kept missing. When Timmy thrusted his rapier forward, Heidi moved to the side and grabbed his dominant arm. She struck the middle of his forearm with her index finger and middle finger, temporarily paralyzing his arm. The paralysis caused Timmy to drop his weapon from his hand. Right after the moment she struck him, Heidi swept his feet off the ground by kicking his legs.

The arena was now completely filled with defeated upperclassmen, who were down on the floor moaning and aching in pain. The Winx and the lowerclassmen in the observation room had their mouths dropped. Although they have seen Heidi fight in the past, they couldn't help but feel amazed by her set of skills. After finishing the entire sparring match, Heidi stood still in the middle of the room with her casual look of stoicism.


	3. Freak

**Sorry for the late update!**

**Here's the third chapter of this story!  
**

**Hope you enjoy and comment!**

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The fairy of warfare stood at the center of the combat arena in composure. Despite the rambunctious sparring match she just went through, Heidi still possessed the stoic sophistication in her facial expression. No signs of exhaustion were apparent on her. She stood there quietly as if nothing had ever happened. After the combat practice was over a single applause echoed across the arena, grabbing her attention. Codatorta, the head instructor of Red Fountain, approached Heidi with an impressed smile on his face.

"Well done, young lady. I have to say that you are an absolutely talented combatant," said Codatorta.

"Thank you," said Heidi, in her mellow voice.

After giving his compliments to Heidi, Codatorta looked away from Heidi and turned his smile into a stern frown.

"And as for you lads! You call yourselves heroes?! I am utterly disappointed in you all! The rest of you showed me how lacking you are! When this vacation ends I want you all to come back improved! I will extend the training sessions by two hours and put up more combat exams !" shouted Codatorta.

The upperclassmen groaned in protest as they slowly got up from the floor.

"Sir, that is so unfair! You already train us like some mad martinet! Extending the training sessions and combat exams will literally kill us!" shouted a purple-haired specialist.

"Quit your whining! I am doing this for the benefit of you all and Red Fountain," said Codatorta.

"Sir, you pitted us against someone who defeated the four alumni! What made you think we could defeat her?!" shouted the blue-haired specialist.

"I wasn't expecting you to defeat her. I was expecting you all to display the set of skills you acquired from your intensive training, but you all disappointed me by how awful they were," explained Codatorta.

"Our skills are not awful! They seemed awful to you because you were comparing our skills to her's!" The blue-haired specialist talked back.

"Enough of your protests and complaints. If you lads keep whining about my decision, I will extend the training sessions by three more hours instead of two," threatened Codatorta.

"Sir, since you're the one who taught us combat why don't you spar against her? Show us how it's really done," suggested the purple-haired specialist.

After hearing the suggestion, the upperclassmen were in an agreement and wanted Codatorta to spar against Heidi.

Codatorta augmented his eyes in surprise and stuttered nervously, "Uh, well I-I w-" When the dismissal bell rang, Codatorta's tense expression turned into relief. "Oh, look at the time. Everyone's dismissed."

Once the training session ended, Codatorta rushed out of the combat arena to avoid the upperclassmen's suggestion. After the head instructor left, the upperclassmen soon turned their attention to Heidi; however, the attention they were giving her was undesirable. Their eyes exuded hostility towards the fairy of warfare, but she did seem fazed by their anger.

"Hey, do you realize what you've done?! Huh?!" questioned the purple-haired specialist, shouting rudely at Heidi. Heidi stood silently and did not speak a single word. "Because of you we have to go through more grueling hours of training! Are you trying to prevent us from having our social lives?!"

"Hey, take it easy, Mason," said Brandon, defending Heidi from the purple-haired specialist. "It does suck to have our training sessions and exams extended, but try to think of it as a way to improve ourselves as heroes."

"We don't need any more improvement! What we need is rest! For the past five months, we've been working our asses off in combat training, sharpening our skills with blood, sweat, and tears! We should at least be rewarded, but what do we get?! We get extended training sessions and exams, and it's all because of her!" said the blue-haired specialist, angrily pointing his finger at Heidi.

"Oh, come on, Kyle! Not you too!" groaned Brandon.

"What good is having a beautiful face and a great body when you're really a brute?" questioned Mason, insulting Heidi.

"Take that back!" hollered a female voice. Everyone in the arena turned their heads and saw the infuriated Stella marching over to them with the Winx Club following her. When the Solarian princess finally reached over the group of heroes, she frowned at them. "Heidi's not a brute! You're just saying that out of jealousy!"

"Jealous?!" sneered Mason, "Why the hell would we be jealous of her? She's just a cold-hearted brute, who only knows how to fight and kill. She doesn't know anything about what normal fairies are supposed to do." Suddenly Layla snorted at his remark. "Is something funny to you?"

"You guys are so pathetic, blaming someone else for your own faults. You're all just embittered because you got your asses kicked by a girl. It's getting old and sickening to hear the same stereotypes of what normal girls or fairies are supposed to do: be ladylike and submissive to men. You guys just can't stand the idea of a girl being possibly the dominant one. The only point you guys are making is that you have severe inferiority complex. Let me give you an advice that you all thank me for later in life: quit being crybabies and get over it!" said Layla, berating the upperclassmen.

"What?!" shouted Kyle, hollering at Layla, "Inferiority complex?! Why you-"

Mason placed his hand in front of Kyle, preventing him from causing a major scene. "Stop, don't let her get to you. The more we waste our energy on them, the more tiresome it gets." Kyle stepped away and crossed his arms in a furious huff. After stopping Mason, he looked at the Winx and the Specialists. "Defend her as much as you want. We don't care at all." Suddenly Mason took his eyes off of the group and looked over to Heidi in contempt. "She's not a girl; she's a freak."

After Mason and Kyle left the arena, the rest of the upperclassmen followed, leaving the Winx and the Specialists alone, offended. Heidi stood three feet away from the group, remaining calm and unfazed about what just happened.


	4. Acceptance

**Sorry for the late update.  
Enjoy and review!**

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After the strenuous sparring match and the pugnacious argument, Red Fountain's infirmary became inundated with injured upperclassmen. Moans and groans of affliction resonated the entire building. The upperclassmen kept exaggerating to the doctors and nurses about how painful their injuries were even though they weren't severe. If anyone stepped inside the infirmary, he or she would hear the upperclassmen wailing they will die. Meanwhile the Winx, except for Heidi, were at the Specialists' dorm, healing their boyfriends' injuries.

"Ow, that hurt!" shouted Riven.

"Try to bear with it," said Musa, healing Riven's injuries.

"Goddamn, what the hell is Heidi made out of?" questioned Riven, feeling discomfort around his jaw and upper body.

"The toughest and resilient substances there are in this dimension," exaggerated Timmy, lying down on the sofa with Tecna sitting beside him.

"You got that right!" agreed Brandon, lifting up his two bandaged hands. Then he placed his palm against his forehead. "Oh my god, I think that headbutt gave me a concussion."

"My entire body is aching in pain. That move Heidi did on me was unbelievably scary," said Sky, trying to stay still as possible as Bloom was healing him. "It felt like a huge snake slithering up on me and attacking every muscle of my body with its strength."

"Geez, Heidi should have toned down her aggression," said Stella, healing Brandon.

"I don't think we should blame Heidi for this. My grandfather and Codatorta specifically told her not to hold back against us for the sparring match," defended Helia.

"I'm not blaming Heidi at all. I'm just saying that she shouldn't have been so aggressive towards you guys," said Stella.

"Heidi wasn't aggressive; she was in complete control," said Tecna.

Everyone in the dorm turned and faced the fairy of technology in surprise. "HUH?!"

"If Heidi was aggressive towards you all during the sparring match, most of you wouldn't have come out intact or alive. She would have crippled or killed you all in cold blood. You and the rest of the upperclassmen only suffered minor and non-threatening injuries because Heidi held back," explained Tecna.

"Heidi is a nice girl who has conscience. She knows the difference between what is right or wrong. Heidi would never harm the innocent gravely. That is why she is not a brute," said Flora.

"Ugh, those boys earlier pissed me off so much! They treated Heidi like she was some sort of uncivilized savage! Thinking about it makes me so mad!" shouted Stella, ranting about what happened earlier when Flora brought up the word 'brute.'"

"They pissed me off too. They acted like sore losers," said Musa.

"How dare they insult Heidi like that?! I want to burn them all with my Sunbeam Shower! I will make them feel hellish pain!" shouted Stella, expanding her eyes, clenching her teeth, and bending her fingers. Suddenly she let out a sinister laugh, which made everyone in the room nervous.

"Whoa, Stella! Calm yourself," said Brandon, rubbing her arms gently.

"Seriously, you're scaring everyone in this room," said Tecna.

"Just ignore them, Stella. We all should. They're not worth venting our anger at," advised Bloom.

Stella turned around and crossed her arms in a deep huff. After everyone came to an agreement to Bloom's advice, the Winx proceeded to heal the Specialists. While the five fairies were healing their boyfriends, Layla was leaning against the wall quietly. When a minute passed, she leaned off of the wall and left the dorm without the group's notice.

* * *

At Red Fountain's fitness center, the building filled with exercise equipments was dimly lit and empty. However, there was one area where the light was shining bright. In that area there was someone practicing kickboxing on a punching bag. Right after the argument with the upperclassmen, Heidi left the combat center before the Winx and the Specialists. Before she had left, she told them where she will be at so they do not worry about her. As she continuously threw punches and kicks, her strength and speed began to escalate. The punching bag began to suffer many blows as Heidi mercilessly attacked it. When she reached the peak of her strength, she pierced a hole into the punching bag with her sturdy fist. The moment she pulled her fist out of the punching bag, she broke it off the chain by powerfully kicking it down. The punching bag heavily fell on the floor, spilling its sand and looking visibly dented. Heidi stood still and stared at the destroyed punching bag in silence.

"You must have thought that punching bag was those rude upperclassmen," said a familiar voice.

Knowing who the voice belonged to, Heidi did not turn around to face the person. She had sensed the person's presence a moment ago, but did not bother to stop her training. Layla stepped out of the darkness and revealed herself in the light. Heidi placed her hand over the destroyed punching bag and used magic to reconstruct it back to its original form. After doing so, she picked it up with one hand and placed it back to its original place.

"No, not at all," finally replied Heidi, avoiding eye contact with Layla.

"Are you serious?! If I were you I would have been so pissed off at those boys and would have taught them a lesson," said Layla.

Heidi turned around and faced Layla. "I do not harbor any resentment towards the senior specialists. They did not commit horrible deeds that deserve punishment."

"I don't understand. They called you horrible things! How could you not feel any resentment towards them? Shouldn't you have at least defended yourself?"

"The reason why I do not hold a grudge against them is that what they said is not completely false."

"What?!"

"I do not deny being a 'brute' or a 'freak'. Those words may seem awful, but they are true. I was born as an abnormal being and raised as a cruel weapon. How can I even deceive myself from the truth when the fact is engraved in my genes?"

"No, that's not true! Don't listen to them, Heidi! You're not a brute or a freak; you're a normal person who has good conscience!"

"Please, you do not have to console me. No matter how many condolences I receive, the truth will never disappear. I already accepted this truth a long time ago, there it does not hurt me anymore. Please, do not worry about me anymore. I am fine."

"Heidi..."

Heidi faced away from Layla, walked up to her belongings, and packed her belongings in her drawstring bag. "We should leave now. Everyone is waiting for us."

After Heidi packed all of her belongings, she walked pass Layla and left the fitness center. As soon as Heidi left, Layla turned around and wore a sympathetic face. To hear those words coming out Heidi's mouth broke her heart. A minute later, gentle tears escaped the fairy of Morphix's cerulean eyes.


	5. Vacation

**Sorry for the LATE update!**

**I've been having a tough time figuring out what to write for this chapter.**

**This chapter is not the best, but it's not that bad. **

**I apologize if it's not too great. I promise I will write more exciting chapters later on.**

**Enjoy and review!**

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By the time Layla and Heidi exited out of fitness center the sun had already set. When the fairy of Morphix felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, she pulled it out and noticed that she received a text message from Stella. Layla tapped the screen of her phone and opened the message.

_"Hey, where are you? Come back ASAP! I have to tell you something important! Find Heidi and bring her too!"_

After reading Stella's message, Layla placed her phone back in the pocket of her mini skirt and told Heidi about it. Heidi nodded her head and acknowledged. The two fairies sprinted away and hurried over to the residence hall.

The moment Layla and Heidi entered the Specialists' dorm, a shrill scream from Stella pierced into their ears. Layla recoiled in shock and blocked her ears; Heidi, on the other hand, stared at Stella in confusion. When the shrill scream died down, Layla took her palms off of her ears and glared at the Solarian princess.

"Damn it, Stella! What the hell was that for?! Did you sent me a message to come over here to get my eardrums blown off?!" shouted Layla, questioning Stella's motives.

"What?! No, of course not! I screamed because I was excited" frowned Stella, placing her hands on her waist.

Layla huffed irritably and rubbed her traguses in circular motions "Are you sure about that?!"

"Layla, where were you?" asked Flora, "We noticed that you were gone ten minutes ago."

With a calmer attitude, Layla answered, "I went to the fitness center to pick up Heidi."

"You should have told us before you left," said Musa.

"Whatever, anyways, what's the important news?" asked Layla, looking at Stella with slight annoyance.

"We're going to Ultramarine Island!" squealed Stella, jumping up and down ecstatically.

"Ultramarine Island? Since when did we decide on this?" questioned Layla, raising her eyebrow in curiosity.

"When you disappeared without telling us, we were talking about where we should go for vacation. Then, Brandon brought up an amazing idea to go vacationing at Ultramarine Island, one of the most beautiful places in the dimension!" explained Stella, smiling until her radiant cheeks protruded.

"Are we really going to go? All of us?" asked Layla, in a doubtful tone.

"Yeah, what's wrong with you?! Why aren't you pumped as I am?" asked Stella, pouting her lips.

"I'm pretty psyched about vacationing at Ultramarine Island, but what about the boys? Are they gonna be alright?" asked Layla, concerned about the Specialists' health.

"Don't worry, Layla. We'll be fine," assured Sky.

"Yeah, besides, we're not going to let few injuries prevent us from vacationing," said Brandon, in a carefree attitude.

"The girls healed most of our injuries, so we will let the minor ones recover on their own," said Helia.

"I apologize," said Heidi, who finally broke out of her silence, "I failed to restrain myself earlier. I did not mean to cause severe pain to you and the rest of the upperclassmen. I apologize for the brutality."

Despite Heidi's stoic nature, she sincerely apologized to the Specialists about her actions. Immediately after hearing her apology, the five heroes offered their vehement forgiveness.

"Oh, no! You don't have to apologize, Heidi! It's not your fault at all! We experience this everyday in training sessions and missions, so it's not new to us," explained Brandon.

"Brandon's right, Heidi. We get injured almost all the time to improve ourselves, so facing you at the sparring match was very helpful," said Sky.

"You were unable to turn down my grandfather's request; it's understandable," said Helia, smiling softly at Heidi.

"Yeah, Heidi! Besides, you didn't hurt us too badly," said Timmy, trying to cover up his pain by over-smiling.

"It's a miracle that she didn't kill us," Riven mumbled so no one could hear. Musa pinched Riven's bicep after hearing his mumbling with her excellent ears. "Ow! I mean it's definitely not your fault!"

Heidi felt a soothing relief after she received the Specialists' forgiveness, but as usual, she did not show the emotion on her face.

Suddenly Stella jumped over to Heidi's side and grabbed her arm. "Come on, Heidi! Let's head to the city and go swimsuit shopping!"

"Swimsuit shopping?! You already have dozens of swimsuits! Why do you need more?!" questioned Tecna.

"I'm not going to shop only for myself! Heidi needs couple of swimsuits too!" said Stella. The golden fairy momentarily left Heidi's side to give Brandon a farewell kiss. After giving him a brief kiss in the cheek, she hurried over to Heidi and grabbed her arm. "See ya later!"

After Stella left the dorm with Heidi by her side, the Winx and the Specialists sighed.

"I have a feeling she's so going to buy more than just swimsuits," said Tecna, referring to Stella.

"Yeah," said everyone in the room, agreeing to Tecna's statement in laughter.

"Well, we better get going now," said Bloom, giving Sky a farewell kiss.

"You guys stay here and rest. We'll get going on our own," said Flora.

"Take care, guys!" said Musa, waving her hand.

The Specialists nodded their heads and said farewell to the Winx.

* * *

The Winx returned to Alfea at eight o'clock. After two hours, Stella and Heidi came back. When they returned, the five fairies were surprised to see Heidi carrying numerous amount of heavy bags, which mostly belonged to Stella. Stella only came in, holding only her purse and one small bag. Tecna reprimanded Stella for buying more than just swimsuits, but the golden fairy rolled her eyes and ignored the fairy of technology. Heidi dropped off Stella's belongings to her room and brought her own back to the living room. When Heidi entered the bathroom to wash, the six fairies came together in the living room and conversed.

"I heard the landscape in Ultramarine Island is purely gorgeous," said Flora, looking forward to the nature of the island.

"I can't wait to party there! Ultramarine Island is known for having awesome parties, both in the beach and the city," said Musa.

"Ultramarine Island is also known as 'The Island of Romance.' It's a place where couples have romantic times. Also, it's a place where two people meet and realize they're soul mates! Oh, I am so looking forward to spending a lot of time with Brandon," said Stella, lost in her own lovely imaginations.

"There's no doubt about it that this vacation is going be great," said Bloom.

"Did you call Nabu about the vacation, Layla?" asked Tecna. "Layla?"

The fairy of Morphix sat still on the sofa and remained silent. She was lost in her own thoughts. Layla couldn't help but be concerned about Heidi.

_"I do not deny being a 'brute' or a 'freak'. Those words may seem awful, but they are true. I was born as an abnormal being and raised as a cruel weapon. How can I even deceive myself from the truth when the fact is engraved in my genes?"_

_"No matter how many condolences I receive, the truth will never disappear. I already accepted this truth a long time ago, therefore it does not hurt me anymore."_

After hearing those penetrating and saddening words, Layla couldn't help but feel disturbed.

"Layla!" called Tecna, raising the volume of her voice.

'Huh?" asked Layla, snapping back to reality.

"Did you call Nabu about the vacation?" Tecna repeated the question.

"Oh, yeah. I called him a moment ago about it. He'll be here by the morning," said Layla.

"Layla, is something wrong? You've been spacing out sadly for a while. Is everything alright?" asked Bloom.

"Yeah, everything's alright," said Layla, trying to cover up her worries.

"You're lying! Tell us what's really going on," said Musa, who knew Layla better than any of the Winx.

Layla sighed and looked away. "I don't know what to do with Heidi."

"What's wrong with Heidi?" asked Stella, moving up closer to Layla in desperate curiosity.

"When I went to get her we talked about what happened at the sparring match," said Layla.

"What did she say?" asked Flora.

"It was unbelievable. She didn't deny what those bastards said about her and just accepted it," said Layla, feeling angry and melancholic at the same time.

"What?! How could Heidi be so accepting!" shouted Stella, throwing her arms up in shock.

"Lower your voice, Stella! Heidi will hear everything!" said Bloom, telling Stella to quiet down.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help but feel so angry!" whispered Stella, in an enraged tone.

"The reason behind Heidi's acceptance is her past. She believes she's a living weapon, that knows nothing but battle and kill," said Layla, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Oh, Heidi," whispered Flora, in a weeping tone.

"I understand why Heidi believes so. She was born and raised in an unrelenting environment. The only law and philosophy she had to live by was survival of the fittest. If she was weak, those callous monsters would have exterminated her. It's kill or be killed; Heidi had no other choice but to get her hands stained with blood. Every single breath she took was obtained through conditioning herself and battling arduously. Even if she didn't have her emotions suppressed through operation, Heidi would have still ended up stoical as she is now. Imagine living your life like that. It's gruesome," said Tecna, offering an insightful explanation.

Hearing Heidi's story again sent shivers down the girls' spines. It was utterly haunting and depressing. The atmosphere in the living room became dead silent. After a few minutes, the chilling quiescence broke.

"Girls, we're Heidi's friends, right?" asked Bloom. The fairies nodded their heads without hesitation. "If we truly are her friends, we have to make sure that Heidi lives a more happier life. We will never let anything sad or painful ever occur to her ever again. It's our duty as friends."

The Winx came to a unanimous agreement to Bloom's idea. They all had the same desire to have Heidi live a better life, so they all promised to make that happen. When the bathroom door opened, Heidi exited out with her comfortable attire. After she finished washing up, she looked out at the living room and saw the girls staring at her. Heidi stared back at the girls with a hint of curiosity. When Heidi reached over to the living room, the girls suddenly hugged her altogether.

"Is there something wrong?" questioned Heidi, who became very curious why the girls were embracing her.

"Heidi, let's have a great time tomorrow, okay?" said Bloom, in a tender tone.

Heidi did not understand why the girls were embracing her, but she decided not to stress about it. In reply to Bloom's need for assurance, she gently nodded her head.


	6. Looking Back and Forth

**Quick update!**

**Sorry if there are a lot of grammatical errors in this chapter.**

**Enjoy and review!**

* * *

Early in the morning, the Winx immediately woke up when the alarm clock went off at seven. While the girls were washing up, getting changed, and packing their belongings in their suitcases, Heidi sat patiently in the living room. Always following her daily routine, the fairy of warfare gets up four in the morning to go to the gym and condition herself through workout and martial arts for few hours. When she came back from training at six, she quickly washed up and packed all of her necessary belongings in her oversized backpack and drawstring bag. Then, she dressed herself up by wearing a dark gray cropped graphic sleeveless tee with pink and purple designs, destroyed light denim cut-off shorts, a dark brown belt with a gold buckle, a pair of black lace up sneakers with vibrant floral prints, and a swimsuit underneath. After she became prepared, Heidi silently waited in the living room.

"Stella, you don't need to pack so many stuff for this vacation!" shouted Tecna.

"We're going to be there for two weeks!" defended Stella.

"Packing two large suitcases is so unnecessary! We probably won't be able to fit your stuff in the ship!"

"You know what? I don't want to hear any more of your nagging. It's getting really annoying," said Stella, sticking her hand out in front of Tecna's face.

"Ugh, you are so stubborn!" groaned Tecna, in frustration.

"Girls, let's not get into a fight, especially the beginning of vacation time. Let's brighten up and get along with each other," suggested Bloom, intervening.

"Fine," said Stella and Tecna, looking away from each other.

"Good, let's get going! The boys will be here in ten minutes," alerted Bloom.

When Stella came out of her bedroom and struggled to drag the heavy suitcases, she saw Heidi and smiled in satisfaction. "Looking good, Heidi! You're wearing everything that you bought from yesterday!"

"Thank you," said Heidi.

"Heidi, how I do I look? Do I look cute? Do you think Brandon's going to like it?" asked Stella, flaunting her vibrant sundress and detailed sandals.

Heidi commented, "Yes, I believe so."

"Yay!" exclaimed Stella, clapping her hands.

"Girls, hurry up, let's go!" shouted Musa, exiting out of the doorway.

"Coming!" shouted Stella.

Stella placed her tote over her shoulder and slowly approached the doorway. Knowing that Stella was struggling with her suitcases, Heidi grabbed the suitcases from Stella's hands and easily carried them. Appreciating her help, Stella kindly thanked her. Heidi nodded her head once to Stella, acknowledging her gratitude. After the preparation, everyone left the dorm.

* * *

Once the Winx left the residence hall, they sat down at the nearby benches and waited for the Specialists' arrival. Suddenly the fairies sensed a magical presence. When they looked up, they saw a portal in front of their eyes. Then, they saw a familiar face exiting out of the portal with his suitcase; it was Nabu. After the portal closed up, Layla immediately got up from the bench and embraced Nabu in delight.

"You came just in time!" exclaimed Layla.

"Did you like my dramatic entrance?" asked Nabu, with a joking grin. Layla giggled and gave Nabu a kiss. After their intimate meeting, Nabu greeted the rest of the Winx. "Hey, ladies! How are you all doing?"

"Good!" replied the Winx, except for Heidi, who remained calmly silent.

Suddenly, a burst of heavy wind breezed from above. Nabu and the Winx looked up and saw the ship landing in front of them. When the ship landed, the Specialists descended from the opening ramp and greeted the group. After the salutations, the Specialists grabbed the fairies' belongings and placed them in the ship in an organized manner. Once that was taken care of, everyone entered the ship, settled in, and took off.

* * *

The ship was full of excitement and anticipation. The Winx and the Specialists were looking forward to specific activities in Ultramarine Island such as shopping, parties, festivals, sports, etc. While the fairies and the heroes were conversing with each other, Heidi sat by the window and quietly looked at the view of the sky. She feels confused and uncertain. Since this is her first vacation, she does not know how to react to it. Heidi understands that this is a jubilant event, but she finds it very difficult to express it in the same way as her friends. Throughout her whole life, she lived in a cruel environment where happiness and freedom did not exist. Because she lived in that darkness for so long, she became adapted to it. Not wanting to stress over this concern, Heidi ignored this conflict and returned to her inner peace.

"Heidi, what will you be looking forward to when you get to Ultramarine Island?" asked Flora.

"I am not sure," replied Heidi, continuously looking out the window.

"Oh, it's okay. There's a lot of interesting activities at the island so you'll have a lot of fun," assured Flora.

Stella randomly came over to Heidi's side and undid her messy braid. "Heidi, let me do your hair. You always wear your hair in a boring braid. There's a lot of variety of fabulous braids and I think they'll all look stunning on you. For now, I'll do the side fishtail braid."

"You are so weird, coming over to someone's side all of a sudden and doing their hair," said Tecna.

"Hey, we're all friends here, right? It's not weird to beautify a friend," defended Stella.

"Okay, whatever you say so," grinned Tecna, going back to playing her video game.

"Whoa, no way!" shouted Timmy, looking at his tablet in shock.

"What's wrong, Timmy?" asked Sky.

"Guys, listen to this. Two days ago, Cloud Nine was caught on fire and burned into ashes!" told Timmy, looking at the news.

"What?! Cloud Nine was burned down?!" questioned Stella, as she was braiding Heidi's hair.

"Was the fire an accident or a foul play?" asked Helia.

"When the investigators came into the scene, they found a cigarette. With that evidence, they confirmed that it was an accident," said Timmy.

"I absolutely dislike smokers. Cigarettes not only damage a person's health, but they also endanger other lives and the environment. They should know better not to do such a thing," said Flora, expressing her opinion about smoking.

"This gets even worse. Because of the accident, forty-seven people died from asphyxiation while they were trapped in the burning building and thirty-three people died from fifth to sixth-degree burns. Only nineteen people survived the fire, but suffered from second-degree burns," said Timmy.

"Goddamn! That fire must have really been intense," said Riven.

"What's left of Cloud Nine is ashes," said Timmy, somberly.

"Cloud Nine was such an awesome place to go out at night! It's a shame that it's gone," said Musa.

"I feel sorry for the victims of the fire. They were innocent people, but they suffered so terribly and died," said Layla.

"Okay, guys, let's not talk about this anymore. Today marks the beginning of our vacation. Let's forget about all of our troubled thoughts and have the greatest time of our lives," suggested Bloom.

"Good idea. I don't to begin my vacation with a gloomy mood," said Brandon.

"Me too," agreed Nabu.

After hearing the group talking about this awful conflagration, Heidi couldn't help but remember her own experience with it. As a child she was forced to throw the corpses of mothers and failed children in the pit of fire and watch them slowly cease. She vividly remembered how the flames mercilessly incinerated the corpses. It was utterly an atrocious sight she had to witness at such a tender age.

"Heidi," said Stella, trying to grab her attention. Heidi returned from reminiscing her horrible past and looked at Stella. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," answered Heidi, maintaining her stoic nature.

"Okay, I just wanted to tell you that I finished braiding your hair. Take a look!," said Stella, handing Heidi the mirror. Heidi grabbed the mirror from Stella's hand and took a look at herself. The intricate pattern of the hairstyle looked very fascinating and beautiful. "What do you think?!"

"It's nice," answered Heidi.

"Glad you like it!" exclaimed Stella, giving Heidi thumbs up.

After Heidi took a look at her hair, she began to take a look at her face. As she stared at her own reflection, she started to see herself when she was a miserable child, covered in charcoal and blood. Heidi took a silent sigh of melancholy and placed the mirror down on her lap. She looked out at the window once more and quietly expressed her hope to achieve happiness through this vacation.


	7. Ultramarine Island

**Sorry for the late update. **

**I had a bit of a writer's block, but since I'm on winter break, I can finally write without any interruptions!**

**This is a short chapter, but I hope all of you will enjoy and review this chapter!**

**Another news: I GOT ACCEPTED TO COLLEGE!**

* * *

After four hours of flight, the Winx and the Specialists finally arrived to their destination: Ultramarine Island. The fairies and the heroes looked out in amazement at the aerial view of the breathtaking landscape. The tropical island consisted of a beautiful city, sparkling ocean, grains of golden sand, high mountains, luscious forests, vibrant flowers, and exotic animals. Once they reached the island, they landed at the port and got off the ship.

"Here we are in Ultramarine Island! It's fabulous!" exclaimed Stella, throwing her arms out in exaggeration.

"Wow, it looks even more beautiful in life," commented Flora, dazzled by the surreal environment.

"This is going to be one hell of a vacation," said Musa, eagerly.

"Definitely," agreed Layla.

"What do you think of the place, Heidi? Isn't it gorgeous?" asked Bloom, smiling at the stoic fairy.

"It is nice," replied Heidi, blankly.

"Glad you like it," said Bloom.

Heidi turned around and walked towards the Specialists, who were unloading the bags from the ship. When she came over to the heroes, she silently volunteered to help.

"Heidi, you don't have to help us out. We can handle this on our own," said Brandon, being a gentlemen.

Heidi ignored his chivalry and continued to unload the ship with ease.

"Don't try to stop her. She enjoys laboring herself," said Riven.

As the Specialists were unloading the ship, they groaned in discomfort and tried to alleviate their mild pain.

"What's wrong with you guys? Are you already tired?" asked Nabu, looking at the five heroes in curiosity.

"They got injured when they against Heidi," told Layla.

Nabu enlarged his eyes and blurted out a loud laughter. "Holy crap! Are you serious?! Oh my god, I should have been there to see it!" The wizard found it very hilarious about what happened to the Specialists and kept laughing. "Oh, I can't breath!" Seconds later, Nabu quickly braced himself when flying bags were thrown at him by the Specialists.

"Shut up and unload the ship," warned Riven, in a low tone.

"Alright, alright. I got it," said Nabu, unloading the ship with a smirk on his face.

Once the ship was unloaded, the Winx and the Specialists grabbed their belongings and departed from the port.

* * *

Nearby the beach, there were large two-story beach houses which served as temporary shelters for travelers. When the group of fairies and heroes arrived at their reserved hut, they were very satisfied.

"Whoa, this is pretty nice," commented Brandon, looking around.

"It's a very cozy place," said Flora.

"This beach house consists of seven bedrooms with their own bathrooms, three bathrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a dining room. The quality of this place is very good," stated Tecna.

"I find it hard to believe that we rented this place out inexpensively. The landowner was really generous," said Musa.

"Come on, we should get settled down and head to the beach," suggested Bloom.

The group came to a unanimous agreement and separated. The Winx and the Specialists quickly chose which bedroom they wanted to reside in and decided to share with their boyfriend/girlfriend. Lucky for Heidi, she got one bedroom for herself. Heidi entered her own bedroom and looked around indifferently. The bedroom was very spacious and pristine. Heidi dropped all of her belongings on the floor and slowly approached the white king-sized canopy bed. She gently placed her hand on the surface and ran her slender fingers across the soft fabric. When she finally laid down on the bed, she felt her body relax to the comfort of the furniture. The stoic supersoldier closed her eyes and calmly indulged this peaceful moment. For the very first time, Heidi has finally received the comfort of an actual bed. Suddenly, she opened her eyes when she heard a knocking on her door.

"Heidi, this is Bloom. May I come in?" said Bloom, behind the door. Heidi got up from her bed, walked up towards the door, and allowed the fairy of the dragon fire to come in. "Hi, Heidi. How are you doing?"

"Very well," replied Heidi.

"Glad to hear you're doing fine! You're so lucky, having a bedroom of your own! I always felt bad whenever I saw you sleep in the living room sofa."

"Although this bedroom will be temporarily mine, I am content. It is very different from where I used to slumber. I used to sleep against the freezing wall with my limbs clutched against it. I was never able to sleep without having Ackerman and his colleagues come in and examine or experiment on me."

Bloom's smile disappeared after hearing Heidi's depressing experience. After a moment of compassionate silence, the redheaded fairy embraced the stoic fairy.

"Heidi, from now on there will only be happy memories. No more sadness and grief. Time will eventually heal all wounds. I promise you that." Bloom pulled herself away from Heidi and looked up to her with a bright smile. "Come on, let's get ready to go to the beach!"

"I would like to rest. May I join later?"

"Are you sure? Do you want us to stay here as well?"

"No, I do not wish to be a burden to the rest of you. Please, proceed without me."

Bloom nodded her head and understood. "Okay, I'll let everyone else know."

After the brief conversation, Bloom exited Heidi's bedroom and closed the door. Once she left, Heidi turned and approached the balcony. She opened the twin glass doors and walked out the balcony. The fairy of warfare gazed at the magnificent view that was in front of her. Normally people would gasp in amazement at the view, but Heidi remained unfazed. Shortly after the sight viewing, Heidi looked down in uncertainty.

"Time will eventually heal all wounds. I wonder if it is true..." Heidi whispered to herself.


	8. The Beach

**Sorry for the EXTREMELY long delay.**

**I was having a problem what to write for this chapter, so if this chapter is bad, I am very sorry.**

**ALSO, I was also thinking about writing a fanfiction for an anime/manga "Yu Yu Hakusho," and for the past few weeks, I've been gathering ideas and imagination for it. If you all haven't heard of this anime/manga, check it out because it is awesome.**

**Hope you enjoy and review!**

* * *

After the hasty preparation, the Winx and the Specialists were finally ready to go to the beach. While the fairies appeared lovely in their charming swimsuits, the heroes appeared august in their nifty swimwear. For the trip to the beach, the group were going to bring these materials: bags, umbrellas, beach chairs, keys, spare clothes and shoes, sunglasses, blankets, towels, shovels, buckets, sunscreen, tanning lotion, cameras, smartphones, tablet computers, surfboards, a frisbee, a volleyball, a beach ball, picnic baskets, and money. Once they came downstairs, they made sure everything was in place.

"Hey, are the rented vehicles here?" asked Sky.

"Yeah, they're right outside the house. They came quicker than the expected time," told Brandon.

"Now that's what I call excellent service," praised Nabu.

The concerned Flora turned and faced Bloom. "Is it really okay for us to leave without Heidi?"

"Heidi said she'll catch up with us later. Right now, I think she wants to rest," explained Bloom.

"It would really nice if she came along with us," whispered Flora, facing down at the picnic basket she was holding.

"Don't worry about Heidi, Flora. She'll come as she promised. If she really insists on resting, we should let her do that. We can't force her to come with us if she doesn't want to," said Helia, placing his arm around Flora.

"Will Heidi be able to find us? There's going to be a lot of people at the beach. Isn't it better to have Heidi come with us?" asked Stella, who was also concerned about the fairy of warfare.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that! That girl has supervision! Her intense eyes will guide her to the right direction!," said Riven, pointing his fingers at his lavender eyes.

"Haha, thanks for the info," giggled Musa, wrapping her slim arms behind Riven.

"Okay, everyone! Let's head to the beach now," suggested Bloom, in a bright mood.

The group agreed in unison and left the beach house with their materials. Outside of their beach house were three vehicles that could fit five people. The fairies and the heroes quickly decided which vehicle they will take and share it with: the first vehicle will taken by Bloom, Sky, Stella, and Brandon; the second vehicle will be taken by Musa, Riven, Layla, and Nabu; last but not least, the third vehicle will be taken by Flora, Helia, Tecna, and Timmy. After selection, the group began to put everything in the trunk of the vehicles. Once everything was set, most of the Winx and the Specialists hopped into the vehicles and drove off to the beach.

"Bloom, let's go," shouted Stella, sitting in the backseat while Sky and Brandon sat in the front.

Bloom faced the beach house, looked at a specific window, and shouted, "Heidi, come join us real soon!"

After the cheerful shout, Bloom turned around, got in the vehicle, and allowed Brandon to drive off.

* * *

At the vast and gorgeous beach of Ultramarine Island, there were numerous civilians having a great time. The energetic music constantly played at the beach to uplift the mood of the area. While half of the civilians were having picnics out in the sun or eating at the boardwalk, half of the other civilians absorbed themselves in restless entertainment. Multiple activities such as swimming, surfing, wakeboarding, water skiing, windsurfing, parasailing, kite surfing, jet skiing, volleyball, sand art, etc, were available. The atmosphere of the place just seemed very upbeat and fresh.

The Winx and the Specialists finally arrived to the beach after a brief ten-minute ride.

Stella quickly jumped out of the vehicle, stretched her arms out, and felt the sun shining on her. "Oh, the sun feels amazing!"

"Amazing?! It's intense as hell! At this rate, I'm gonna tan like a rice farmer!" shouted Musa, using her hand as a fan.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous! Besides, you need a tan. You're pale as a ghost! Same with you, Tecna," said Stella, putting on her designer sunglasses.

"Geez, thanks," sarcastically said Tecna.

"Alright, ladies! Let's go and get settled!" exclaimed Brandon, reminding the Winx.

The fairies came over to assist the reluctant heroes with the materials and moved out. Once the Winx and the Specialists found an open space and got settled, they quickly dispersed in couples: Tecna and Timmy stayed behind to play against each other in multiple action video games; Flora and Helia walked over to a spot where the sand was reasonably fine and began building their artistic sand sculptures; Layla and Nabu went to go surfing together at the ocean where the waves were very intense; Musa went jet skiing with Riven and tightly wrapped her slim arms around his abdomen as he sped in an accelerating speed; Stella, who is ironically acrophobic, went parasailing, but with Brandon by her side, she felt relieved and entertained; Bloom and Sky swam in the ocean water and playfully splashed and chased each other around. After two hours of fun, the fairies and the heroes returned their settled spot to start their picnic.

"This is really delicious, Flora," Bloom complimented on Flora's cooking.

"Tell me about it! This tastes amazing!" Stella agreed as she munched on the food.

"Flora, I've got to say that you are one of the best cooks I've ever met! Thanks for the food! It's great," commented Brandon.

"It's light and savory at the same time. This is very delectable," Helia complimented his girlfriend.

"Thank you, everyone. Please, eat as much as you want. I made a lot for everyone," said Flora, with a sweet smile on her face.

While the others delightfully ate and conversed, Flora turned her head to the other side with a worried look.

"Flora, is something wrong?" asked Helia, who caught Flora's expression quickly.

"I'm just wondering when Heidi will come. She promised she would come," faded out Flora, beginning to feel pessimistic.

"It's been two hours, twenty-three minutes, and thirteen seconds since we arrived here," said Tecna, looking at her clock, "Heidi should have been here by now."

"If Heidi doesn't come, we should let her off the hook," said Bloom, with a serious look.

"Let her off the hook?" asked Musa, with a curious look.

"Before we left the beach house, I went up to Heidi to check up on her and tell her about going to the beach. When I went up to see her, I never seen her so different. She still had her usual stoic expression on her face, but she seemed more peaceful and relaxed. Heidi told me that she was content about having her own bedroom even though it's temporary. She also told me about her past. She said that she used to sleep against the wall with her limbs pinned against it. Heidi was never able to sleep without having Doctor Ackerman come in and experiment on her," explained Bloom.

"How terrible!" gasped Flora, covering her mouth with her hands.

"That inhumane bastard! I'm glad that man is rotting away in prison right now," said Brandon.

"Guys, let's not talk about that madman! It's only going to ruin our mood, especially our appetite!" suggested Stella, munching on the food.

"Yeah, Stella's right. I'm sorry that I brought this up," apologized Bloom.

"You don't have to apologize, Bloom. The more we get to know about Heidi, the more we should be involved to help her," said Sky, wrapping his arm around Bloom.

Suddenly the Winx and the Specialists noticed a crowd of people looking a specific direction and talking among each other. The civilians' expressions were filled with awe and enchantment. Curious why people were acting this way, the fairies and the heroes turned to the direction they were facing to see what was causing this action. From the distance, there was a familiar face walking towards them. Immediately knowing who it was, the Winx and the Specialists gaped at the approaching beauty. Heidi, who kept her promise to the group, left the beach house after her rest. As she casually approached them at a normal pace, the civilians gazed in enthrallment. Heidi wore a black strappy bandeau top and a black strappy bottom. Due to the exposure of the swimsuit, the fairy of warfare displayed her statuesque and svelte body. Her physical features such as her desirable bust, flat abdomen, endless legs, perfectly-sculpted buttocks, slightly protruding hip bones, voluptuous curves, and toned muscles were very impressive. Just by looking at her in once glance, people can tell she was naturally slim and she was very disciplined in conditioning her body. While male civilians were enamored with her appearance, the female civilians were either feeling self-conscious or envious. When a cyclist saw Heidi, he took his eyes off of the road and gaped in captivation. As anticipated, he ran into a car, flipped off of his bicycle, and crashed into the windshield of another car. The Specialists took their eyes off of Heidi and laughed at the cyclist. The six heroes felt bad for what happened to the cyclist, but they couldn't help but laugh until they collapsed on the ground and teared up. Heidi looked at the injured cyclist in aloof curiosity, marveling why he got hurt. The fairy of warfare finally shrugged off the curiosity and reached the Winx and the Specialists.

"Heidi, you came as you promised!" exclaimed Flora, in relief.

"How was your nap?" asked Musa.

"It was alleviating," replied Heidi.

"Oh, Heidi!" exclaimed Stella, coming over to the stoic fairy to give her a huge hug, "I'm so glad that you came. I'm even more glad that you're wearing the swimsuit I picked out for you!"

"You picked out that swimsuit for her?!" questioned the stunned Tecna.

"Of course!" exclaimed Stella, "What do you guys think?"

"You look fantastic!" Brandon vehemently gave an immediate response to Heidi.

"Very sultry," commented Musa.

"Supermodel!" exclaimed Nabu.

Tecna looked at Heidi with uncertainty. "Stella, don't you think the swimsuit is too revealing?"

"Tecna, we're at a beach. If a girl has assets, she should show them off, not hide them!" said Stella. Stella turned to the heroes and asked for their opinions, "Am I right, boys?"

"Oh, yeah! Definitely!" The Specialists immediately agreed.

Stella pulled herself away from Heidi, looked at the fairy of warfare's body with a totally different expression, and sighed, "Oh, I shouldn't have eaten a lot of that picnic food . I feel like a hideous lard now!" The Winx and the Specialists loudly groaned in frustration and annoyance when Stella brought up her weight issue. "What?!"

"Here we go again," muttered Riven.

"Oh my god, Stella! For the hundredth time, you are not fat!" shouted Musa.

"According to your body mass index, you are clearly underweight; however, you are naturally slender. You do not need to lose weight," said Tecna.

"Look at these love handles," cried Stella, grabbing her nonexistent fat around her abdominal area.

"If you're really that unsatisfied with you appearance, why don't you just wake up four in the morning everyday and work out three to four hours like Heidi?" suggested Layla, with a joking tone.

"I'll die if I do that!" shouted Stella.

"Stella, you're neither fat nor ugly; you're stunning the way you are," comforted Brandon, wrapping his muscular arms around Stella.

Stella calmed herself and regained her self-confidence after hearing Brandon's lovely compliment. After witnessing this strange moment, Heidi stared at the fairy of sun, moon, and stars with a hint of confusion.

"Heidi, would you like to try a bite?" asked Flora, presenting a variety of picnic food. Heidi sat down on the blankets and tried one from each different food. "How are they?"

"They are exquisite," commented Heidi.

"Heidi, after you finish eating, we're heading out! Today, you are in for a lot of fun..." said Stella, who rubbed her hands and grinned in enthusiasm.

* * *

**The inspiration for Heidi's swimsuit is from Victoria's secret. Here's the link to see what it looks like.**

** swimwear/very-sexy/strappy-bandeau-top-very-sexy?ProductID=6078&CatalogueType=OLS**


	9. Entertainment

**A pretty quick update.**

**This chapter may contain grammatical errors and can be a tad bit cheesy, so sorry about that.**

**I'll fix some of the errors as much as I can.**

**Enjoy and review your thoughts!**

* * *

Out in the ocean, there were several civilians surfing out in the active waves, including the Specialists. While the six heroes were surfing, the Winx stood at the shore and watched Layla demonstrate to Heidi how to surf. After briefly observing the demonstration, Heidi understood the lesson and went out into the ocean with the Layla. When the two fairies reached over to join the rest of the Specialists, they waited for some waves. Luckily, a huge wave formed and approached them. While the two fairies and the six heroes waited for the wave to come closer, the rest of the Winx cheered at the shore and rooted for each one of them. While the other fairies were cheering on, Tecna stood still and looked at the small device in her hand with focus. After setting it up, the small device floated from her hand and flew over to where the Heidi, Layla, and the Specialists were. When the enormous wave finally came, the eight members of the group quickly got on and surfed. The small device followed them into the wave and took high-quality snapshots and recorded the event. For someone who surfed for the very first time, Heidi proved herself to be excellent at it. The fairy of warfare kept her balance gracefully and rode through the powerful wave. As she was surfing, she looked around her surroundings in calm amazement. She was inside a liquid tunnel, where it was serene and adventurous. Heidi extended her left arm and felt the cool liquid wall splash against her hand. When the wave finally died down, the eight of them made it out safely. After taking photos and recording the event, the small device flew back to Tecna's hands. When the two fairies and the six heroes swam back to the shore, they were gleefully welcomed back by the Winx. The Winx and the Specialists turned to Heidi and complimented on her surfing abilities. In her own opinion, Heidi believed that she was a mediocre surfer, but due to their kindness, she thanked them.

Next, the Winx and the Specialists moved on to beach volleyball. The group played in different matches: boys vs. boys, girls vs. girls, and mixed. As they were playing funny accidents such as Stella whining about a broken nail and Timmy getting bodily injuries occurred. Deciding to get competitive, the group decided to choose the two of the strongest candidates play against each other in girls vs. boys. The Winx obviously chose Layla and Heidi. The Specialists were being very indecisive. Having Timmy, Helia, and Nabu voluntarily excluded, it was among Sky, Brandon, and Riven. These three heroes argued who was going to be in this competitive game. To settle this pointless argument, the three of them played rock-paper-scissors. After couple of rounds, the result was in. It was going to be Sky and Riven against Layla and Heidi. While the other fairies and heroes sat out, Tecna decided to be the scorekeeper and Timmy had his own camera out to take pictures and record the event. When the match began, the Winx and the Specialists shouted in excitement. Despite facing against two female players, Sky and Riven showed no mercy. These two heroes knew that these girls were very athletic and challenging opponents. As the match progressed, it was getting very intense. Both teams' offense and defense were superb, rendering them evenly matched. Their game was so intense, even passersby stopped to watch. Every time each team won a point, the crowd applauded their impressive moves. After the first set was won by Sky and Riven, Layla and Heidi resolved to win the next set. In the second set, Layla and Heidi came out stronger and more aggressive. Due to their great teamwork, the girls won the second set. To finally finish off the game, they played a tiebreaker. Since they will be playing a tiebreaker, each team will have to be more aggressive yet careful at the same time. During the tiebreaker, each team obtained a point back and forth, proving themselves to be worthy opponents. Both teams' offense and defense were very strong. The audience watched in excitement and uneasiness, wondering the outcome of this match. When Layla retrieved the ball, she passed it over to Heidi who was near the net. With the advantage of her towering height and incredible strength, Heidi jumped over to reach the ball and forcefully spiked it over to the other side. Riven attempted to retrieve the ball, but it was too quick and touched the open space. Layla got down on her knees, grabbed a fistful of sand in her hands, and threw it in joy. Sky came over to the other side and congratulated the two fairies. Riven, who was a little bitter about the loss, came over to the other side and congratulated their victory. Although she and Layla got their victory, Heidi remained unfazed. The Winx, the Specialists, and the bystanders applauded their outstanding match. The fairy of warfare looked around and noticed how pleased everyone looked. As Heidi saw their proud expressions and listened to their cheers, she suddenly felt a faint warmth inside of her.

The group departed from the beach and moved to another location. When the fairies and the heroes arrived at the picturesque punchbowl waterfall, they got out of their vehicles and settled here. Surrounding the waterfall were rocky cliffs, differing in height. The majority of the fairies climbed up to the twenty feet cliff and jumped. Even at that height, the girls were frightened and had to build up the courage to jump at that height. The Specialists, on the other hand, climbed up to the sixty-five feet tall cliff. Alongside with them was Layla. The first one to voluntarily jump was Brandon. Once he jumped, the fairies in the water screamed in excitement and fear at the same time. When Brandon safely jumped into the water, the Winx and the Specialists applauded. The second person to jump was Layla. When Layla jumped off the cliff she performed graceful movements and dove in safely, earning her a huge applause. As time passed, Sky, Nabu, and Helia jumped off the cliff and dove into the water. The only ones who were left were Timmy, Riven, and Heidi. Timmy took a peek from the edge of the cliff and saw how high he was from where the others were. The intelligent hero immediately cowered at the sight and claimed that he cannot jump. Riven took off Timmy's glasses and tossed them off the cliff. Thankfully, Helia caught his glasses from drowning in the water. Timmy turned to Riven and furiously questioned his reason for doing that. Riven claimed that he was getting "pissed off" and "annoyed" about Timmy's indecisiveness and cowardice. Timmy slowly walked over to the edge of the cliff and saw his friends cheering him on. Tecna looked up with a hopeful and encouraging smile on her face. Knowing that he had to prove to Tecna that he was no coward, Timmy resolved to jump. He closed his eyes, took enormous breaths in-and-out, and placed his hands over his erratic heart. Suddenly, Timmy collapsed on his knees and cowered again. Growing frustrated and impatient, Riven threatened to throw him off the cliff if he was not going to jump on his own. Timmy immediately got up and shouted that he will do it. After taking many deep breaths and building up the courage, Timmy finally jumped off. Although his dive was not the best, Tecna admired her boyfriend's bravery. Once Timmy jumped off, Riven quickly jumped off the cliff and performed amazing tricks and dove into the water. The only who was left to jump now was Heidi. The Winx and the Specialists cheered out her name from below. Suddenly, the fairy of warfare turned around and disappeared. The fairies and heroes in the water exchanged confused looks and wondered what happened to her. Riven concluded that Heidi must have backed out, but Helia claims that she is not the type to fear danger. Then, Musa shouted and pointed at Heidi's location. Heidi appeared again, but one top of a cliff even higher. The Winx and the Specialists dropped their jaws in bewilderment. Heidi was standing on top of a hundred feet cliff and was planning to jump. The others tried to dissuade from jumping at that height, but Heidi seemed determined to do it. When Heidi finally jumped, the Winx and the Specialists screamed on top of their lungs in fear. Heidi performed incredible acrobatic tricks with her malleable body and flew down at a quick speed. The fierce wind blowing on Heidi's face felt refreshing as she descended from the cliff. When she perfectly dove into the water, a huge splash bursted. The Winx and the Specialists waited for Heidi to emerge from the water; however, she did not. The anxious fairies and heroes panicked and feared that she was hurt. Finally, Heidi emerged from the water like a stunning siren. The Winx quickly swam over to Heidi and expressed their relief that she was safe. The Specialists swam over to Heidi and surrounded her with applause. The heroes were very impressed by her courage and showmanship. Heidi looked around and noticed the bright and friendly smiles on the fairies and heroes' faces. Knowing that those smiles were for her, Heidi felt very content in the inside.

After the various activities of entertainment, the Winx and the Specialists arrived back at the beach. The fairies and heroes unanimously decided to go and get ice cream. As they walked through the crowded boardwalk, Heidi followed them from behind. The fairy of warfare quietly observed the interaction among her friends, specifically the loving couples. She noticed how happy they were. The smiles on their faces and the exchange of their looks were quite different. They seemed more intimate and more caring. Love was an emotion that Heidi was unable to decipher and understand.

The group finally arrived at the ice cream store and waited in line. As they waited patiently in line, the male civilians turned their attention to the fairy of warfare and stared at her in amazement. One handsome man in the ice cream store, who seemed to be around his mid thirties, took his eyes off of his smartphone and looked at Heidi in fascination; however, it was not attraction like the other guys in the building. It was something different. Once Heidi received her chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, she paid the cashier and left the store with the fairies and the heroes. When she left, the handsome man watched her with interest.

The Winx and the Specialists sat down at a nearby table on the boardwalk and conversed as they ate their ice cream.

"Everyone, I never had this much fun before," said Bloom, with a bright smile.

"Tell me about it. Today was full of excitement," agreed Musa.

"Oh, I am so tired from having too much today," exclaimed Stella, hugging Brandon's muscular arm.

"It's very nice that we can finally sit down and take a break," said Flora.

"So, Heidi, what did you think about today?" asked Bloom.

Heidi placed her spoon down and answered, "It was entertaining."

"I gotta say, Heidi, you were pretty awesome today. The way you surfed, played volleyball, and jumped off that cliff was extremely hardcore," said Brandon.

"Those spikes from the volleyball match hurt like a bitch, but I gotta admit that it was a really fun match," said Riven, rubbing his forearms.

"Thank you, everyone. I am very fortunate to have you all with me on this adventure. I am very grateful," Heidi expressed her gratitude.

"Oh, Heidi!" exclaimed Stella, getting up from her seat to hug the stoic supersoldier.

"Heidi, we feel the same way too. Ever since you joined our group, you became our greatest ally and friend. Because you are our friend, we will do everything we can to help you create happier memories to overcome those awful ones. We promise," said Bloom, holding Heidi's hand.

Heidi looked around and saw the assuring smiles from the fairies and the heroes. She sensed their deepest sincerity and support for her. Acknowledging their veracity, Heidi felt touched by their words.

"Thank you..." Heidi expressed her gratitude in audible softness.


	10. Opportunity

**This isn't as descriptive as the previous chapter but it's not terribly dull.**

**Next chapter will be interesting.**

**Enjoy and review!**

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"Excuse me," spoke an unfamiliar voice.

The Winx and the Specialists stopped their conversation and turned around to see who it was. In front of them was a very tall, handsome, stylish man with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He appeared deceptively young, looking to be around in his late 20s or early 30s. The man that standing in front of their eyes was the same man from the ice cream shop. When the man got Heidi's attention, he gave her a polite smile and spoke directly at her.

"Hello, I happened to see you at the ice cream shop earlier and I want you to know that you are very beautiful young lady," the man complimented on Heidi's appearance.

Heidi stared indifferently at the man and replied, "Thank you."

"May I ask what your name is?"

"Heidi."

"Heidi, what a fitting name for a gorgeous young lady like you." The man pulled out a card from his left pocket and handed it to Heidi. "Here's my business card. I really believe that you should become a fashion model. You have such a rare beauty that deserves exposure and attention. I would like to hear from you within this month. Please call if you're interested."

After this unexpected encounter, the man turned around and casually walked away. Suddenly, Stella grabbed Heidi in the arms and turned her over to her direction.

"Heidi, do you know who that man was?!" asked Stella, who looked very excited.

"No," answered Heidi.

"His name is Levent Pierce. He used to be a very famous male supermodel who made a huge fortune from his successful career. Now he's the founder and the CEO of Epitome Models, the number one modeling management firm in the dimension!" explained Stella, squealing in awe.

"Wow, he must really be a very wealthy and influential figure in the fashion industry," said Flora, surprised by the information.

"This man is a total genius! He discovered so many models and shaped their careers into huge success!" told Stella.

"He must indeed be a very powerful businessman," said Tecna, going through an extensive background check on Levent Pierce on her gadget.

"He's also married to Yvonne; she used to be a very successful supermodel back in the day too, but now she works alongside her husband in the business," informed Stella.

"He's married to Yvonne? The lingerie model for Bellissima?!" questioned Brandon, who seemed familiar with her.

"Yeah, that's the one," told Stella.

"Oh my god, she is so freakin' sexy!" exclaimed Brandon.

"Brandon used to be so obsessed with Yvonne. Whenever we passed by a Bellissima boutique, he would always stop and drool over a half naked poster of Yvonne that was on display. Good times," told Sky.

"Brandon's a pervert!" teased Riven.

"I always knew that Brandon was an incorrigible flirt, but who knew he was a pervert," said Nabu, with a grin.

"I was twelve back then and I'm not a pervert!" defended Brandon, causing laughter from everyone.

"It's okay, man. As men we understand what you went through. You were going through the awkward stages of puberty," joked Riven, causing even more laughter from everyone.

"Whatever, say what you want. I have a girlfriend who is way hotter and more beautiful than a Bellissima model!" declared Brandon.

"Oh, Brandon, I love you so much!" exclaimed Stella, hugging her boyfriend after hearing those touching words.

Bloom turned away from the mushy couple and faced Heidi. "So, Heidi, what are you going to do? Are you going to try out?"

"I have not made my decision yet," answered Heidi.

Stella pulled away from Brandon and said, "Do it, Heidi! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity! If you take this offer, you'll experience the glamorous life! You'll travel to many fabulous and exotic places, appear on major campaigns and runways, and become famous and rich!"

"Technically, that's not true. There are some cases in which a lot of beautiful models try to achieve success, but end in failure. The chances of having a successful modeling career are very slim. Also, a lot of models struggle financially and emotionally. They don't earn a lot of money due to the high competition and they are constantly under pressure to lose weight. In most extreme cases, they commit suicide due to depression or die from malnutrition. Modeling is a very difficult career to pursue," informed Tecna.

"I agree with you, Tecna. The modeling industry is really cruel and demanding. However, this business doesn't control its models like puppets. Models are human beings with minds too. They have the power to choose whether or not they should lose or gain weight, pose nude, or carry other difficult tasks. It's up to them to make the decision," said Stella.

"Wow, I've never heard Stella so intelligent before," Riven whispered to Nabu.

"When it involves fashion, this girl is a doctor," Nabu whispered back.

"Speaking from a fashion perspective, I strongly believe that Heidi will be successful. Come on, just look at her!" Stella grabbed Heidi's stoic face and presented it to everyone, making her feel awkward. "This is no ordinary face! Look at these exotic and well-defined features! This is an impossibly stunning face that exists!"

"Uh, Stella. The impossibly stunning face you're talking about is being disoriented," said Musa.

Stella looked at Musa and the other giggling friends in confusion. When she turned and faced Heidi, she noticed that her hands were squishing her face, making her look like a strange-looking creature. After this realization, the Solarian princess immediately released her face.

"Sorry about that, honey. I was just trying to make a good point there," apologized Stella. "As I was saying," she continued, "Heidi has the full package. I guarantee you all that she will be booked almost everywhere."

"Looks like this day belongs to Heidi! Everything is going very smoothly for her," said Sky, getting agreements from the rest of the fairies and heroes.

"So, are you gonna do it or not?!" asked the curious and impatient Stella.

"I will consider the offer," replied Heidi.

"Take your time, Heidi. It's wise to think this over before making the final decision," suggested Tecna.

"Heidi, remember not to take too long thinking over it. He wants to hear from you within this month; an answer that he really wants to hear," said Stella, with hopeful eyes and an encouraging smile.

Tecna rolled her eyes at Stella's peer pressure and sipped on her coffee-flavored milkshake.

* * *

The Winx and the Specialists returned to their beach house once they were done for the day. Due to exhaustion, the majority of the fairies and the heroes quickly washed up and went straight to bed. In the living room, Bloom sat alone on the sofa and quietly read a novel. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice call out her name in a whispered tone.

"Bloom!" Stella called out.

Bloom turned away from the page she was reading and saw Stella standing on the staircase. "Stella, what are you doing up? I thought you were tired and went to sleep."

"Well, I can't make myself go to sleep anymore. How about you?" Stella came over and sat by Bloom's side.

"I just wanted to stay up a little more and read here. I don't want to disturb Sky with the lights on while I'm reading."

"Oh, I see."

"So, what's going on with you? For someone who loves to sleep, I find it very odd to see you up this late."

"I can't fall asleep after what happened today! I'm so happy that Heidi's been offered an opportunity to become a professional model for Epitome Models."

"Yeah, I have to admit that it is pretty exciting."

"If I were Heidi, I would have accepted the offer right away! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

"Stella, let's not pressure Heidi to do something she's uncertain about. It's up to her whether or not she wants to take this opportunity and go for it. Whatever her decision is we have to respect it."

"I hope she accepts this offer. She really deserves and needs this opportunity. It would be a waste if she refuses!"

"Stella, think back to what she's been through. Heidi was trained since birth to serve as a living weapon. She lived in a cruel environment where she had to kill to survive. Her emotions were suppressed so that she wouldn't be able to form intimate attachments. After the hell that she's been through, I don't think Heidi is going to accept this offer so easily. She still views herself a tool for bloodshed. It's only been three months since she escaped that life. Heidi's still learning how to adapt to the society we're living in. It would be unwise of us to force her progress."

"I completely understand what you're saying, Bloom. What Heidi went through for eighteen years is undoubtedly horrible. No one should ever go through something like that! However, she's surprisingly recovering from her past really quickly. I think Heidi's the one who's pushing herself to adapt as quickly as possible. You can actually tell that she's desperately trying to catch up on what she missed out in her life. I'll wait for her decision as you want me to but I really believe that this opportunity will change her life positively!"

Bloom tilted her head to the side and smiled at Stella. "You know, you've changed a lot."

"Changed? How?" Stella asked with high curiosity.

"Don't get offended by this, but I've never seen you care about someone this deeply before. I know that you're a caring person, but I've never knew that you could be so nurturing and supportive. To be honest, I thought you were gonna have a bad relationship with her because of your jealousy issues over looks. I'm really surprised."

Stella chuckled at Bloom's statement. "Honestly, I do feel a bit jealous of Heidi's stunning looks; however, I know that she's not perfect. Even though she appears to be perfect, she's obviously troubled in the inside. The way she grew up and was raised was awful. I feel like after meeting her and getting to know her, I became even more caring and sympathetic. I want to help her get rid of those unwanted memories and start fresh. She's a beautiful girl who deserves a wonderful life."

Standing on the second floor of the house was Heidi. She heard the entire conversation between Bloom and Stella without being noticed. After she heard everything, she silently walked back to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She returned to her comfortable bed and stared at the ceiling idly.

_"A wonderful life. Is it possible for someone like me to possess such a thing?"_ Heidi questioned in her mind.


	11. An Accidental Discovery

**Sorry for the late update, everyone.**

**It took me a long time to plan and organize this chapter.**

**If there are any errors in this chapter, I apologize due to my impatience.**

**Enjoy and review!**

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Despite the different location, it did not interfere with Heidi's sleeping pattern. Exactly at three in the morning, the fairy of warfare woke up from her slumber, rose from her bed, and walked into the bathroom. After she finished washing up, she came out of the bathroom to change her clothes. However, she changed into her dry swimsuit rather than her training attire. Instead of following her normal routine, she decided to do something different. Once Heidi dressed herself up, she packed these belongings to her drawstring backpack: a smartphone that she purchased a month and half ago due to the ardent insistence of Tecna; spare clothes and undergarments; a large translucent bottle; a large dry towel; and the house key. After the preparation, she picked up her bag and walked out of her bedroom. Without disturbing the Winx and the Specialists, Heidi silently passed through the hallway, stepped down the wooden stairs, and reached the first floor. She walked over to the kitchen and filled her translucent bottle up with cold spring water. After making final preparations, Heidi departed.

Forty-five minutes later, the fairy of warfare arrived at the beach. The full moon in the night sky illuminated the surface of the ocean water, the gentle wind breezed through the vast space, and the cold tides of the ocean washed up the countless grains of sand. Heidi dropped her drawstring bag next to a nearby rock and approached the tranquil ocean. Suddenly she stopped halfway and stared out at the open view. This moment for the stoic supersoldier was alleviating. Ever since she arrived in Magix, Heidi experienced adventure and peace at the same time. For eighteen years of her life, she was never given a chance with freedom. She was only offered with brutality and solitude. The process of obtaining freedom was arduous. Heidi had to meticulously plan her escape when an extremely rare chance arrived and fiercely battle against those who tried to suppress her again. After all the frustration and difficulty, she has finally liberated herself from the clutches of cruelty. The reminiscent Heidi snapped back to reality and resumed back to what she was doing before. As she walked closer and closer to the ocean, she felt the gradual change from dry sand to wet sand. Finally, her body came into contact with the tides. The fairy of warfare continued to walk into the ocean until her entire body sunk in deep. Beneath the ocean was sheer darkness. To see through this obscurity, Heidi enhanced her vision by emitting a phosphorescent glow in her periwinkle eyes. Once she was able to see clearly, she gracefully swam through the aquatic water to venture the marine life.

After an hour of swimming freely in the ocean, Heidi emerged from the water and swam back to the shore. When the water became shallow, she stood up on her two feet and slowly approached the land. Once she made it back to the surface, Heidi picked up her drawstring bag and walked across the beach. The skies were no longer dark. A thin visible line of light appeared in the horizon. The fairy of warfare felt a slight warmth that was emitting from that light. Within minutes, the sun will fully rise and clear away the darkness.

Few minutes later, Heidi suddenly stopped and looked out in stoic curiosity. Twenty feet away from where she was, there was a figure laying face-down on the shore. Heidi approached the figure at a normal pace, but gradually her speed increased. When she finally reached over to the figure, she turned the body over and took a closer look. The figure happened to be a young male individual, standing a tall height between 6'4 and 6'5. He possessed a light beige complexion, a slender but well-built physique, and wet shoulder-length onyx hair that was covering his face. His wet attire consisted of a long-sleeved dark gray top, black skinny pants, and black combat boots. Through his wet top, there was a unique tribal tattoo running across his chest. After turning his body over to the front, Heidi placed her arms underneath his armpits, dragged him out of the incoming tides, and laid him down at a drier area. Heidi rushed over next to his side and placed her hand underneath his head to lift it up. The moment she touched the back of his head she felt something unusually warm. When she pulled her hand out, she saw blood. Heidi immediately used her magical ability to heal the wound on the back of his head. Once the wound closed up, the bleeding stopped. Heidi placed her ear against his chest to hear his heartbeat. She heard nothing. Even though she healed his head injury, his heart was still not beating. Knowing that this person was in cardiac arrest, she immediately resorted to CPR. She compressed his chest to pump the blood through the heart and exhaled breaths into the individual's mouth to allow air into his body. After several attempts, Heidi successfully revived him. The washed up individual coughed up the salt water that was blocking his airway passage. Curious to see what he looked like, Heidi brushed off the multiple strands of hair that was covering his face. His face consisted of prominent cheekbones, a defined nose, a sharp jawline, immaculate eyebrows with slight arches, and pillowed lips. The young man appeared sensuously virile but gently effeminate at the same time. When his eyes began to open, Heidi immediately pulled her hand back. When his eyes opened halfway, he displayed their distinctive beauty. He possessed a rare trait of central heterochromia. Three different colors were present in his irises: the outer ring was crystal blue; the middle ring was jade green; and the ring surrounding the pupil was warm amber. The moment the young man woke up, he smelled a sweet floral fragrance. He followed the pleasant scent by turning his head to the right. His vision was hazy but as seconds passed, it gradually became clear. When his sight became perfectly clear, he saw Heidi staring right at him. From his perspective, he was seeing an ethereal nymphet with the morning sun glowing behind her. The moment he looked into her alluring gaze, he became enticed. After a brief moment of consciousness, the young man fainted due to his weakened state. Heidi pulled out a large towel from her drawstring bag and wrapped it around the unconscious young man to prevent hypothermia. She carefully picked him up from the ground, placed his arm around her neck, and walked him to the nearest hospital.


	12. The Awakening

**Quick update.**

**Enjoy and please review. I would like to know what you all think so I can have a little more motivation to update faster.**

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Once Heidi arrived at the hospital, the unconscious young man was immediately taken for medical care. After he was taken away, Heidi pulled out her smartphone from her drawstring bag and called one of the Winx. She knew that if she does not return to the beach house before they wake up they will become worried, so she knew that it was the right thing to call one of them and tell them about the situation. When the half-asleep Bloom picked up and answered the call, Heidi informed the fairy of the dragon fire. After explaining the situation, Bloom became fully awake and told Heidi that she and the rest will be there quickly. Heidi assured her that she can handle this on her own and didn't want to disturb everyone, but Bloom ardently insisted. Knowing that she cannot dissuade Bloom, Heidi gave in and understood. After thirty minutes, the Winx and the Specialists arrived to the hospital and met up with Heidi. Once they came, they waited outside the patient's room.

Riven closed his eyes tightly and rubbed his right temple irritably. "So, let me get this straight. You went out for a swim at three in the morning, and few hours later you find some washed up dude at the shore?"

"Yes," replied Heidi.

"And you called and woke us up at six in the morning for this?!" growled Riven, whose tone became increasingly bitter.

"Yes."

"Damn it, Heidi! You brought us over here just for this crap?!" exploded the cantankerous Riven.

"I apologize."

Layla immediately rushed over to Heidi's side to defend her. "You inconsiderate piece of shit! Who the hell gives you the right to yell and bitch at her?! Heidi did the right thing to call and tell us about this. I can't believe you would rather sleep than stay by your friend's side. To tell you the truth, I sometimes I want to beat the crap out of you for all the dumb shit you cause, but I can't because you're Musa's boyfriend. However, I am now itching to hit you in the face with my fist."

Everyone, except for Heidi, withdrew in surprise and fear. To see and hear Layla in an angry state was frightening and unpleasant. However, Layla was also cranky since she was awakened by force, but she was still on Heidi's side. Before Layla truly pummels Riven, the others intervened.

"Layla, calm down," said Nabu, rubbing her arms, "Remember that we're in a hospital."

"Nabu's right, Layla. We're in a public place. Let's not stir up any violence here," said Bloom.

Layla loosened her fists and glared at Riven. "Consider yourself lucky. If you pull off the same shit again, I won't hesitate to hurt you."

Musa turned to Heidi apologetically. "I'm really sorry about Riven. Are you okay?"

"I am fine," assured Heidi.

Stella optimistically turned to Heidi's side and called her out. "Hey, Heidi." Heidi turned and faced Stella. "How was the guy? Was he attractive?"

"Pardon?" questioned Heidi.

"Was the guy handsome, cute, or sexy?" asked the curious Stella in a playful tone.

"Don't answer her question, Heidi. She's being ridiculous," said Tecna.

"Humph," Stella rolled her eyes at Tecna and crossed her arms.

"What happened to this guy? How did he end up like this?" wondered Brandon.

"He is a survivor of a homicide," said Heidi, confidently.

"Homicide?" questioned Sky.

"The wound on the back of his head was created by a very precise incision, most likely caused by a sword. The incision was not accidental; it was intentional. It is apparent that he suffered from a forceful impact of the weapon that wielded by the assailant."

Flora gasped and recoiled in shock. "How terrible! How could someone do such a thing?!"

"Here is my theory about this event," Heidi continued, "I believe this homicide was premeditated. There were no signs of struggle on the victim's weakened body. The assailant methodically plotted this murder and ambushed him. If this was spur-of-the-moment, the incision on the back of his head would have been crude and sloppy. This was all planned ahead. After he struck down the victim, he tossed his body into the ocean to get rid of the evidence."

"Aren't you being a bit too presumptuous?" questioned Riven, raising his eyebrow.

"It is a only a theory. What I believe may or may not be true," said Heidi.

The conversation between the fairies and the heroes ended when the doctor and the nurse came out of the patient's room.

"Are you the patient's guardian?" asked the doctor, facing Heidi.

"Yes," replied Heidi.

"The patient is currently in a stable condition. He will make a speedy recovery all thanks to you. If you weren't a fairy and hadn't used your healing ability, the patient would have become permanently brain damaged or worse, died from excessive blood loss," informed the doctor.

Heidi nodded her head and thanked the doctor. When the doctor and the nurse left, the Winx and the Specialists entered the room. The group of fairies and heroes approached and got a closer look at the unconscious patient, who had bandages wrapped around his head and a peripheral venous catheter fixed into his arm with adhesives and attached to a drip.

"Oh my god, he really is attractive!" exclaimed the fascinated Stella, "This guy has the full package: he's handsome, cute, and sexy!"

"Wow, Stella. This guy is unconscious after he almost got killed and drowned, and you can only focus on his appearance?" questioned Tecna, staring hopelessly at the Solarian princess.

"Come on, just look at him! His hair, his body, and his facial features are just incredibly magnificent!" exclaimed Stella. Brandon, who was standing beside Stella, squinted his eyes at his girlfriend in jealousy. Stella laughed at the expression on Brandon's face and gave him a hug. "Haha, don't worry, Brandon! No one is ever going to be as attractive as you."

Flora turned and faced Heidi. "Heidi, you should take a shower and change. You'll get catch a cold if you keep wearing your wet swimsuit."

Heidi looked at herself and noticed that she was still in her wet swimsuit. After Flora had told her, the fairy of warfare walked inside the bathroom that was already in the patient's room to take a shower and change.

"Geez, this guy must have had it rough. He barely made it out alive after someone tried to kill him," said Nabu.

"Yeah, I can't imagine myself in that kind of situation. It's just frightening to think about it," said Sky.

"A slash on the back of his head? Damn, that's pretty intense," said Riven.

"Absolutely," agreed Helia.

"The chances of surviving from a head injury, specifically a severe incision like his, are very low. The mortality rate for victims of this type of head trauma is very high. I find it very surprising that after sustaining such a heavy blow, he survived without any permanent damages to his brain," said Timmy.

"He's a survivor alright," said Brandon.

Suddenly, the unconscious young man began to open his eyes.

"He's awake!" Bloom alerted the fairies and the heroes. When the haziness dissipated into clarity, the patient looked around in curiosity. "Hey, how are you feeling?" Bloom asked with concern.

The patient slowly rose from his bed and sat up. In his velvety voice, he asked, "Where am I?"

"You're in a hospital. You were found washed up ashore half-dead," explained Sky.

The patient groaned in exhaustion and rubbed the back of his head. The moment he touched the back of his head, he briefly shouted in pain.

"Be careful! You're hurt!" cautioned Flora.

"What happened to me?" asked the patient.

"You were severely slashed in the back of your head and almost drowned in the ocean," explained Brandon, "Do you remember anything that happened to you before this?"

The patient shook his head. "No."

"You don't remember how you ended up this way?" asked Musa.

"No, not at all," answered the patient.

Stella randomly came over to the patient and stared deeply into his eyes, making him feel curious and uncomfortable at the same time. "Oh my god! Your eyes are so beautiful! There are three different colors in them! I feel so amazed and jealous at the same time."

"Central heterochromia. Very rare," pointed out Timmy.

"Uh...thank you," the patient appreciated Stella's compliment, but he was currently feeling uncomfortable because she was in his personal space.

"Okay, Stella. I think you've had more than enough of praising this guy's appearance," said the slightly envious Brandon, slowly and gently moving her away from the patient to give him some space.

"Sorry about our friend here. She can be a bit too much," apologized Layla.

"Humph!" Stella crossed her arms and pouted her lips.

"By the way, let me introduce you to all of us," said Bloom. "My name is Bloom, this is Sky, Stella, Brandon, Helia, Flora, Musa, Riven, Tecna, Timmy, Layla, and Nabu. We're students from Alfea and Red Fountain."

"And our group is called the Winx," added Stella, pointing out the girls, including herself.

"Oh, nice to meet you all," said the patient, with a small smile.

"What's your name?" asked Bloom, wanting to know who he was.

"My name?" asked the patient, raising his eyebrows. The young man spaced out in a focused state. Suddenly, he enlarged his eyes in shock and placed his shaking hands on the sides of his head. "My name. Why can't I remember my name?! What is my name?!"

The Winx and the Specialists exchanged looks of shock.

"You don't remember your name?" asked Bloom.

"No, I can't think of it," said the patient, looking frightened.

"How about your age, date of birth, place of origin, and current residence?" asked Layla.

The patient was genuinely trying to remember his own identity, but he was unable to retrieve anything and became frantic. "Who am I? When was I born? Where I am from?"

"It's okay. Don't push yourself too hard. Everything will be alright," assured Flora, rubbed the patient's back.

"He seems to be suffering from retrograde amnesia," said Helia, in a definite tone.

"Retrograde amnesia? What is that?!" asked Stella, looking completely confused.

"It is a memory disorder which prevents a person from recalling certain memories before the accident or incident happened," explained Helia, "The person can most likely remember general knowledge and recent memories, but cannot retrieve older and specific memories before the onset of the amnesia. It can take days, weeks, months, or even years for the memories to be recovered."

"It doesn't sound so bad. At least he remembers general knowledge, but if he didn't, he'd be screwed," said Riven.

"What was the last thing you remember?" asked Nabu.

The patient calmed down and thought back to his recent memory. "I remember a girl. A girl who had porcelain skin, cascading blonde hair, and intense blue eyes."

The Winx and the Specialists exchanged obvious looks at each other, knowing exactly who he was talking about. "Heidi..."

Suddenly, Heidi finally stepped out of the bathroom all washed and dressed up. She came out with her hair damp and loose and a simple and casual attire: an oversized white tank top, a black bandeau revealing through the armholes, distressed denim shorts, and one-inch black cut out boots. The moment she came into the scene, the patient recognized her immediately.

"Heidi, the person you saved is awake," informed Flora.

Heidi glanced at the patient. "I am relieved."

Bloom introduced Heidi to the patient. "I believe this is the girl you were just talking about. This is Heidi. She's the one who found you and saved your life."

"Heidi," the patient whispered in a tranquil tone inaudibly. Then he raised the volume of his voice normally. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome," said Heidi, indifferently.

The patient kept staring at Heidi and gave her a tender smile.

Meanwhile, an unknown figure who wearing a dark lightweight armor stood on edge of the tall building that was across from the hospital. He stared specifically into the room that was occupied by the Winx, the Specialists, and the patient. Through the mask, he gazed at the patient in contempt with his golden eyes. After the silent watch, he pressed the side of his mask and concealed his eyes. Finally, he created a black mist and vanished.


	13. Name

Sorry for the very late update.

This chapter is not really the best, but bear with me.

The next chapter will be better.

Enjoy and please comment!

Through the CT scan, it was confirmed that the patient was indeed suffering from amnesia. It showed specific areas in the hippocampus that were affected by the physical trauma. Verbatim to what Helia had just said, the doctor informed the group that it will take days, weeks, months, or years for the patient to retrieve his lost memories. In this case, recovery is unpredictable. After getting the physical checkup, the patient was given permission to be discharged from the hospital. While the patient was preparing to leave, the Winx and the Specialists waited outside the hallway and conversed.

"Do we really have to bring this guy along?" asked the annoyed Riven.

"Well, the guy doesn't even know who he is or where he's from," pointed out Musa.

"So?! That doesn't mean we have to bring him with us," said Riven, arching his eyebrow in irritation.

"Leaving a patient with amnesia on his own isn't wise. If you have even an ounce of conscience, you would help the guy out," said Tecna.

"Come on, Riven. Cheer up. This guy didn't give us a bad impression and seemed pretty cool. Having him around isn't going to be so bad," said Nabu, in a persuasive tone.

Riven heavily sighed and crossed his arms. "Whatever, just don't make me babysit the guy."

The fairies rolled their eyes at Riven's bad attitude and turned their attention away from him.

Heidi stepped out of stillness and walked away.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked Brandon, with a curious look.

Heidi stopped and answered, "I am going to the reception desk to pay for the hospital bill."

"With what money? You didn't even bring your wallet," said Riven. Heidi calmly lifted her hand up close to her shoulder and transported her wallet in her hand. "Oh, right."

"Heidi, aren't you short on money?" asked Bloom.

"I still have enough currency to pay for the hospital bill," answered Heidi.

"Heidi, I can pay the bill for you. You don't have to use up all the money you have left," Sky generously offered.

"No, that will not be necessary. I am responsible for finding him at the beach and escorting him to the hospital. I will pay for the expenses," said Heidi, in gentle firmness.

After deciding who will pay for the hospital, the stoic fairy turned around and walked away.

"Such an honorable girl," said Sky..

"She really is," admitted Brandon.

Right after Heidi left, the patient finally stepped out of the room, looking less unkempt than before.

"Oh, you're done! That's great," exclaimed Stella.

The patient looked around and quickly noticed that one of the fairies were missing.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked Layla.

The patient finally turned his attention towards the remaining people in front of them after hearing Layla's voice, but didn't know what she said. "Huh?"

"I asked you if you were okay," said Layla.

"Yes, I'm okay," answered the patient.

"What kept your mind so occupied there?" asked Bloom.

"It's really nothing. I just noticed that one of you was missing," answered the patient.

"Oh, Heidi went to the front desk to pay for the hospital bill," explained Timmy.

The patient stared at Timmy in slight surprise.

"You better be grateful and say thank you to Heidi when you see her. She's paying for your hospital bill with the little money she has left," said Brandon, who gently slapped the patient's arm.

Stella quickly came over to the patient and grabbed his sleeve. "Come on, let's go!"

"Where are we going?" asked the patient, standing still in the same area.

"We're gonna go shopping!" exclaimed Stella.

"Shopping?" questioned the patient, tilting his head in confusion.

"You can't just survive with only wearing what you have right now. You need clothes, shoes, accessories, and other essentials!" explained Stella.

"I don't have any money to purchase any of those."

"Oh, don't worry about that! I'll pay for everything!"

"No, please. I don't want to be a burden to anyone with money."

"Would you rather share these boys' icky stuff?"

"I..."

"It would be more of a burden if you borrowed their stuff. You can pay me back whenever you want or not, so let's go!"

Stella dragged the helpless young man through the hallway with the enthusiasm for shopping.

"Well, that's awfully nice of Stella," said Nabu, watching Stella and the patient in confusion.

"She's definitely doing this as an excuse to go shopping for herself," said Riven.

"I think you guys are looking down on Stella. She's not as selfish as you guys think. Stella is a very kind and warm person; she's just a bit brash," said Bloom.

"Yeah, she's definitely brash. A suitable adjective for Stella," said Tecna.

"Come on, guys! Hurry up!" shouted Stella, standing twenty feet away from the group with the patient.

The Winx and the Specialists complied to Stella's shout and moved on.

At the reception desk, Heidi waited patiently for the nurse to finalize the hospital bill. Once everything was settled, Heidi paid the amount that was due. After making the payment, Heidi walked away from the desk and looked into her wallet to see how much money she had left. With the amount of money she had left, there was no way Heidi could support herself. Not even a week. Suddenly, Heidi spotted a fancy card in one of the pockets of her wallet and pulled it out. She was a holding a business card that was given to her by Levent Pierce, the founder and CEO of Epitome Models. As she stared at the business card, she began to consider the idea of accepting the offer.

"Heidi!" a familiar effervescent voice called out.

Heidi slipped the business card back into her wallet and turned to face the approaching fairies and heroes, along with the patient.

"Are you done with the payment?" asked Bloom.

"Yes," replied Heidi.

"Great, now come on! We're going shopping!" Stella cheerfully said.

The Solarian princess grabbed Heidi with her other arm and dragged her with optimistic force.

* * *

Few blocks away from the hospital was a well-known shopping district. After taking a fifteen minute walk, the Winx and the Specialists finally arrived at this stylish area. The shopping fanatic of the group immediately rushed to boutique to boutique before the others. For every boutique they visited, Stella enthusiastically rummaged through bunch of clothes, shoes, accessories, and forced them on the patient. The fairies and the heroes stood to the side and felt sorry for the patient. He was constantly thrown in the fitting room along with a pile of what Stella had chosen.

"If Stella ever becomes a fashion stylist, she's going to be the most abusive one of all," mocked Riven.

"I can't disagree with that. She is aggressive when it comes to style," said Nabu.

"Looks like you're going to have to watch out, Brandon," said Riven, changing the subject, "You're going to have to keep an eye on Stella and the amnesiac."

Brandon shrugged, "I have nothing to worry about. Look at the guy; he looks completely uncomfortable and a bit annoyed with Stella. He just won't say anything to her because he feels indebted to her."

"Well, you can't really say anything to someone who's willing to spend his or her money on you," said Sky.

"Stella, this is going to be the last place you're going to shop for today. I mean it this time!" warned Tecna.

Stella rolled her eyes and groaned. "Okay, fine! Whatever!" Suddenly, Stella gasped dramatically and pulled out a mini bodycon dress from the hanger. "Oh my god, this is so gorgeous! Heidi, you should try this on! It'll look really great on you."

Heidi shook her head and declined Stella's offer. The fairy of warfare was too short on money and she knew that it would be unwise to even spend a coin on any goods. Right now, it would be best for Heidi to only save what she has.

After purchasing many products from the current boutique they were in, the Winx and the Specialists were finally freed from Stella's shopaholic adventure.

"You two got a lot of stuff from the boutique we just came out of," said Musa.

"Of course! Saint Vincent is an incredible luxury brand for both men and women. It's one of my favorites! There is absolutely no flaw in any of its designs," said Stella.

"Vincent..." The patient whispered to himself.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Bloom, looking at the patient in curious concern.

"Vincent. That name sounds very familiar to me. I don't know why but it is," explained the patient.

"The name sounds pretty badass," said Musa.

All of a sudden, Stella enlarged her eyes and gasped dramatically.

"What's with you? Did you just have a brainstorm?" asked Tecna, raising one of her eyebrows.

"I have a great idea!" exclaimed Stella, "Since he doesn't remember his own name and we don't know what to call him, why don't we just give him that name: Vincent!"

"That doesn't too bad of an idea," said Bloom.

Stella forcefully turned to the guys and asked for their opinions. "What do you think, boys? How does 'Vincent' sound?"

"Not bad," answered Riven, placing his hands in his pockets.

"A very strong name with a powerful meaning. Very admirable," said Helia.

"Okay, it's settled then! From now on, you're going to be Vincent! Got it?!" Stella looked at the patient with excitement.

"Hold on, Stella. We need his opinion too. We can't just call him whatever we want," said Layla.

"No, I don't mind," said the patient, "The name 'Vincent' sounds good to me."

"Okay, Vincent! Let's go and do a little more shopping!" exclaimed Stella.

"Stella, did you already forget what I had just said?!" yelled Tecna.

"Relax! We're going to the pharmacy to buy him necessary things like dental care, hair and body care, etc. Geez," said Stella, flipping her golden locks over her shoulder.

"Girls, let's stop the bickering and just finish all the shopping that remains," suggested Layla, with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Once the fashionable shopping had ended, the fairies and the heroes departed for their next stop.


	14. Enticement

**SPRING BREAK! **

**I hope I can one or more chapters in by this week.**

**Enjoy and please comment on your thoughts!**

* * *

From visiting the hospital to shopping tirelessly in the city, the Winx and the Specialists finally returned to their beach house. When Vincent cautiously stepped inside he looked and walked around with wandering eyes. To his satisfaction, the atmosphere was cozy and welcoming.

"Here we are. This is our temporary beach house for vacation," Bloom presented, "What are your thoughts on it? Do you like it?"

Vincent faced Bloom with a smile and replied, "Yes, it's very comforting."

"Great, make yourself feel at home!" Bloom gave Vincent two thumbs up.

Timmy unfolded the sofa into a bed in the living room. "Fortunately we have a spare bed. You can use this one while you stay here with us."

"Also, there's a bathroom next to the storage room right over there. It's all yours," said Nabu, pointing to where the bathroom was located.

"Thank you very much. I don't know how I will ever repay your kindness," said Vincent, feeling grateful.

"We don't ask for too much. You can pay us back by getting back your memories. That's all," said Layla.

"Thank you, everyone," Vincent genuinely appreciated their benevolence.

"We'll be looking forward to knowing you better, Vincent," said Bloom.

"Speaking of getting to know each other better, how about we go clubbing? We'll talk, dance, and have a great time!" suggested Stella.

"Yes, I have been dying to go clubbing ever since we got here! There's a nightclub in the city called 'Empyrean' and it's one of the best out there!" exclaimed Musa.

"I'm so in the mood to party right now," said Layla.

"What do you say, Vincent? Are you in?" asked Stella, eagerly hoping him to join.

"Sounds like fun. Count me in," said Vincent, with a small smile.

"I don't know if we should go clubbing. After hearing the news about Cloud Nine, I'm really worried it might happen again," said Flora, feeling uncertain and scared.

"Flo, don't be so paranoid! The chances of that happening are not that high. We'll be fine," assured Musa.

"Flora, if a fire really happens I will protect you," said Helia. Flora smiled back at her boyfriend and embraced him.

"Yay! Then it's settled! We're gonna go out and club!" exclaimed Stella.

"Let's all rest first. We were all woken up really early in the morning and didn't get a lot of sleep," suggested Riven.

"Plus, we're exhausted from Stella's crazy shopping adventure," yawned Nabu.

"That sounds like another good idea. Let's head upstairs and rest. We'll all head back to the city tonight at nine," said Bloom, earning head nods and verbal agreements from the rest of the group.

Yearning for rest, the Winx and the Specialists rushed up to the second floor and returned to their bedrooms. Before heading to the stairs, the fairies bid a brief farewell to Vincent. The heroes, on the other hand, were too tired to do so and just blatantly went upstairs. Once the sound of doors shutting closed ended, silence hung in the air. Ten seconds after the fairies and heroes migrated, Heidi broke free from stillness and approached the staircase.

"Wait!" Vincent called out. Heidi stopped right in front of the first step of the staircase. She did not turn to face the him. "Thank you again for saving me. I'm so greatly indebted to you. I don't know how I'll be able to repay for what you've done."

"You can compensate by regaining your missing memories," spoke Heidi, repeating what Layla said in an eloquent way. After the succinct conversation, the fairy of warfare walked up the stairs. Suddenly, she stopped after taking five steps. "Do you not recall anything? Not even the faintest memory?"

Vincent shook his head in disappointment. "No, not at all."

After hearing his genuine answer, Heidi walked all the way up to the second floor and entered her bedroom.

Vincent looked away from Heidi's bedroom and spaced out in deep curiosity. _"Who am I? How did I end up like this?"_

* * *

Around eight o'clock, the Winx and the Specialists began to prepare to go out tonight. As everyone else was getting ready, Vincent waited downstairs patiently all dressed up. His attire consisted of a chambray shirt with a leather collar tucked loosely inside his pants, black skinny jeans, dark brown leather boots, a black leather belt with a platinum buckle, and a nice wrist watch. While he was waiting in the living room, he slowly walked around the area out of boredom. After few minutes, he walked towards the sofa-bed and sat down. Suddenly, he heard one of the doors upstairs open. Vincent looked up and saw Heidi walking past the indoor balcony and descend from the second floor. The theme of her overall appearance was tough glamour: her attire consisted of a black moto leather jacket with utilitarian designs, a long creamy beige-colored sleeveless top with a deep scoop neckline, an exposed black bra with small silver spikes, high-waisted distressed denim shorts, black fishnet tights, one-inch black leather lace-up combat boots, a black leather belt with a vintage silver buckle, two silver bracelets on her right wrist, black leather studded bracelet on her left wrist, two silver armor rings on her two middle fingers, and multiple sterling silver earrings on both of her ears. Her makeup was both simple and dramatic: she wore foundation and concealer to give her skin a flawless look, a bronzer and highlighter to reveal her outstanding features, a black eyeliner to give her magnetic eyes a feline look, a black mascara to volumize and lengthen her eyelashes, nude-colored eyeshadow to brighten her eyelids, an ashy brown eyebrow pencil to accentuate her high-arched eyebrows, a nude-colored rose blush to make her prominent cheeks stand out, and a cool red lipstick to emphasize her luscious lips. The style of her hair was sexy and unkempt. Vincent was mesmerized by her current appearance, but he preferred her natural look to what she looked right now. When Heidi reached down to the first floor, she walked over to another sofa and sat down with her smart phone in her hand.

"Hey," greeted Vincent, in a whispered tone. Heidi glanced at Vincent when she heard him salute, but did not greet him back. She took her eyes away from him and became preoccupied with her smartphone. "Are the others still getting ready?"

"Yes," replied Heidi, not paying any attention to the person sitting across her.

What preoccupied her mind was her potential career as a model. Through her smartphone, she was thoroughly researching on the fashion business. With the opportunity offered, Heidi was interested.

"So," said Vincent, breaking the awkward silence, "You're a fairy, right? What are your abilities based on?"

"Warfare."

Vincent slightly enlarged his eyes in surprise. "Warfare? That's cool!"

"No, it is not." The enthusiastic expression on Vincent's face turned curious. "Possessing the power of destruction is dangerous and unpredictable. It can betray your own will and consume you. It is a frightening power."

"Oh, I see," replied Vincent. He couldn't think of anything to say. The topic was too abstract for him to relate to. To avoid a depressing topic, he switched to another one. "So, do you have a boyfriend?"

"No."

"You're single?"

"Yes."

"Well, have you ever dated anyone in the past? I bet you did."

"No, I never have."

Vincent stared at Heidi in shock. "Are you serious? You never had any boyfriends before? Not even one?"

"No."

"Wow, what a surprise! I can't believe you never had a boyfriend before. You're breathtakingly beautiful! I don't understand why you never dated anyone before."

Heidi finally looked away from her smartphone and looked at Vincent. "Do you really find it incredulous that I have never been in a relationship before?"

"I'm mind-blown!"

Heidi looked away and stared into the open space. "Beauty is just a facade. People tend to believe what they see in front of their sight and fall for it. However, once people finally get a glimpse underneath of that guise, their romantic illusion is shattered. Beauty is ambiguous: it can either lead to a great splendor or a consequential tragedy."

After speaking to Vincent, Heidi directed her attention back to her smartphone. Vincent sat still on the sofa-bed and stared silently at the fairy of warfare. Despite the gloomy turns in their conversation, he was still mesmerized by her. Other than her appearance, there was a mysterious and philosophical aura about her that was so alluring to him. Because of that, Vincent wanted to know more about her.

* * *

As time gradually passed by, the Winx and the Specialists came down from the second floor looking fresh and stylish. The group finally departed from the beach house later than their expected time due to Stella's indecision with her appearance. When they arrived at their destination, they noticed there was a long line outside of the nightclub. Luckily, the line was moving up quickly so the fairies and the heroes managed to get inside less than fifteen minutes. The capacious size of the Empyrean held a multitude of energetic partygoers. The futuristic setting, the kaleidoscopic lights, and the resonant music were very favorable to everyone's liking. The girls immediately grabbed their boyfriends and scurried over to the crowded dance floor. Vincent stayed by the bar and watched the others dance in content. As he watched from the distance, he was impressed by Musa, Layla, and Nabu's dancing skills and was entertained by Riven and Timmy's strange style of dance. Vincent looked away from the dance floor and looked to his left. He noticed the lonesome Heidi was leaning against a sleek rectangular pillar and watching her friends in silence. Vincent stared curiously at Heidi and wondered why she was not dancing with her friends. Suddenly, Stella rushed over to him and forcefully dragged him down the dance floor. Once he reached the dance floor, he was urged to dance by the Solarian princess. To join in on the fun and not humiliate himself at the same time, Vincent danced modestly. After the song ended, another song immediately came on. The moment the new song blasted out through the stereo, Musa and Layla faced each other and happily squealed. The two expert dancers hurried over to Heidi and dragged her to the dance floor. Vincent stopped dancing and watched in curiosity. The three fairies reached over to the middle of the dance floor and got in their positions. When the right time came, they started to dance. The interested crowd on the dance floor gave them the entire space to perform their enthralling choreography. Soon, everyone in the nightclub turned their attention towards them. Musa, Layla, and Heidi were all in sync as they danced. Their movements were dramatically technical and agile. The way their bodies maneuvered was powerful and flexible. While the partygoers in the nightclub jumped and cheered as the performance went on, Vincent remained still and watched in stunned silence. Heidi was truly a girl full of surprises. The fact that Heidi was a superb dancer astounded him. Musa and Layla were excellent dancers, but Vincent didn't pay too much attention to them. His eyes were only focused on the statuesque ice-blonde fairy. Her pulchritudinous physicality and her tantalizing movements captivated him. Vincent only knew her for a very short amount of time, but he couldn't help but feel drawn towards her. When the song ended, the three fairies finished their choreography with fierce expressions and strong poses. Hundreds of people wildly applauded the performers. While Musa and Layla bowed and blew kisses to everyone in Empyrean, Heidi remained still in indifference. Few seconds after the performance, Heidi left the dance floor as if nothing happened.

The Winx and the Specialists sat over at an open table after dancing for too long. Once they ordered their beverages, they began to converse.

"You three were amazing!" shouted Bloom, trying to overcome the loud music.

"Thanks, Bloom!" appreciated Layla.

"When did the three of you choreograph that routine?!" asked Flora.

"It was a group choreography Layla, Heidi, and I planned for dance class! It was for our midterm grade!" explained Musa.

"The song that we danced to was the same one we used for our midterm choreography! It was a great coincidence so Musa and I thought, 'Why not?! Let's dance to it!' Oh, it was so fun," added Layla.

"Well, if that was really a midterm choreography for your dance class that you definitely passed," said Nabu, kissing his girlfriend in the cheek.

"They didn't just pass. They most likely, no definitely, got the highest grade," said Riven, wrapping his arm around Musa's shoulders.

"Heidi, you were fantastic too!" complimented Brandon.

"Thank you," Heidi replied calmly.

"It was such a relief that we found Heidi and dragged her to the dance floor before the time came! This choreography wouldn't be fulfilling without her!" exclaimed Musa.

"What are your thoughts on their performance, Vincent?" asked Stella.

"It was entertaining. I enjoyed it very much," answered Vincent.

"Thanks, Vince!" appreciated Musa, shortening his name on friendly terms.

"We should really head back. It's way past midnight," suggested Timmy, looking at his watch.

"It's already three in the morning!" gasped Flora.

"Wow, time flies when we're having fun," said Nabu.

"Yeah, let's get outta here," said Brandon, finishing his glass of beverage.

The Winx and the Specialists got up from their seats and walked away. On the second floor of the nightclub there was a tall, mysterious figure leaning against the rail bars. He silently watched the group of fairies and heroes head towards the exit. His golden eyes were mainly focused on Vincent. He gazed down at him with strong disdain. Suddenly, Heidi stopped five feet away from the exit and quickly turned around to look up at the second floor. The mysterious individual disappeared without getting noticed. The fairy of warfare felt an unwanted presence watching them from the distance. She alertly looked around but saw no one suspicious.

"Is there something wrong?" questioned Vincent, looking curiously at Heidi.

Heidi shook her head. "No, not at all."

"Come on, let's go. The others are waiting for us," Vincent said with a small smile on his face.

Heidi nodded her head and left the place alongside Vincent.


	15. Seclusion

**This is a very long chapter. It took me a while to plan and write this out.**

**Enjoy and comment on your thoughts!**

**Next two chapters will be very exciting.**

* * *

Once the Winx and the Specialists returned to the beach house, they immediately washed up and went straight to bed. After the overwhelming night at the Empyrean, the fairies and heroes couldn't of anything but rest. Peaceful silence hung in the air after they fell into deep slumber. However, one fairy was still wide awake.

Heidi conscientiously removed the makeup that she wore for the night out. Instead of changing into her sleeping attire, she changed into her training attire: a black/grey sports bra, black/lime mesh shorts, black spandex, black athletic socks, and black/white training sneakers. She quietly walked down each step without disturbing anyone in the house. Once she reached down the first floor, she walked passed the living room and exited the back door. Hearing the faint creak of the door closing, Vincent awakened. He slowly rose from the sofa-bed and turned around in suspicion. He wondered who would still be awake after just coming back from clubbing. Vincent got up and slowly walked to the back of the house. Once he reached the back door, he looked through the glass surface to see who it was. Out in the backyard, there was a tall individual with a feminine physique. Without a doubt it was Heidi. Judging from what she was wearing, Vincent assumed she was out for a morning exercise. Heidi started out by stretching her lithe body. After warming up, she began her training routine. The fairy of warfare started out with the basics and gradually increased the intensity. To perform the extreme techniques, she took up the entire backyard space. As she effortlessly trained, Vincent watched in amazement. He was impressed by his savior's dynamic strength, agility, stamina, flexibility, and focus. Although there was ferocity in her movements, there was also grace. Vincent finally witnessed and acknowledged the fact that Heidi was truly the fairy of warfare. Suddenly Heidi stopped in the middle of her routine and forcefully turned to face the glass door. Vincent inaudibly gasped in shock when she turned around. He immediately rushed back to the living room and tucked himself back to bed. The amnesiac did not want her to the wrong idea that he was stalking her. An hour later, Heidi returned to the house. When she entered the living room, she stopped halfway from the staircase and looked over at Vincent. He was sound asleep. Heidi stood silently and stared indifferently at the slumbering amnesiac. After glancing at him, Heidi walked upstairs and returned to her bedroom. Once she left the living room, Vincent opened his eyes and felt relief. He questioned in his thoughts if she really saw him or not.

* * *

"Vincent, wake up!" shouted the effervescent Stella. She immediately hopped on the sofa-bed and jumped up and down. Vincent woke up from the disruption and rose. "Yay, you're awake now!"

Vincent looked around half-asleep and noticed most of the fairies and heroes were in the living room.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Bloom.

"Fairly," answered Vincent. "By the way, what time is it?"

"It's 11:30 AM," informed Helia.

"Oh, I see," said Vincent, beginning to get his senses back.

"Hurry up and get cleaned up. We're going out," said Stella, excitingly.

"Where are we going?" asked the curious Vincent.

"We're going to a secluded area of the beach and have a blast there."

"A secluded area?"

"We decided that we want to go somewhere more quiet and private," said Sky, "So, are you interested?"

"Sure, why not?" replied Vincent, agreeing to the idea.

"Okay! Once you get washed up and dressed, we'll head out," informed Sky.

Vincent removed the blankets off his shoulders, revealing his exposed upper body.

"Whoa, you have a tattoo!" exclaimed Brandon, staring in shock.

Vincent stopped and looked down at his chest. "Oh, I do."

"Damn, that is one awesome looking tattoo. I've never seen anything like it before," said Brandon.

"I usually think people with tattoos are ugly and unattractive, but you're definitely an exception," said Stella, in a coquettish tone.

"Totally sexy and badass," said Musa.

"Oh, thank you," Vincent appreciated their compliments.

After hearing Stella and Musa compliment Vincent, Brandon and Riven stared at them in slight suspicion and jealousy.

"The design of your tattoo is very exotic and intricate. It's quite aesthetic too," said Helia, speaking from an artist's point of view.

"I agree. The tribal patterns are so unique," said Flora.

"Okay, that's enough! Hurry up and get washed up already!" shouted the annoyed Riven, throwing a white v-neck tee and a navy blue swimming trunks at the amnesiac.

Vincent caught the his clothes and stepped inside the bathroom.

* * *

Everyone was outside the beach house, getting ready to leave for their trip. After the fairies and heroes loaded the vehicles with all the necessary materials and equipments, they moved out. During the travel, each car was filled with chatter and laughter. An hour later, the Winx and the Specialists arrived at their destination. The secluded beach was absolutely surreal, possessing an even more healthier and vibrant appearance than the public beach. The fairies and heroes jumped out of their vehicles, unloaded their stuff, and set them at a desired spot. Once the everything was settled, the fun ensued.

The fairies and heroes pursued different activities: Bloom and Stella conversed and tanned under the pleasant sun; Sky, Brandon, Riven, and Nabu went out into the ocean to spearfish; Musa and Layla swam and playfully fought in the water; Tecna and Timmy sat underneath the umbrella to avoid getting tanned and played video games; Flora and Helia helped each other prepare food; Vincent sat on the warm sand and relished the gorgeous scenery in front of his sight; Last but not least, Heidi went on a beach walk by herself.

Sky, Brandon, Riven, and Nabu returned from spearfishing and brought a variety of fishes and shellfishes. Flora and Helia took what they caught and began to prepare them. About a half mile away, Heidi slowly strolled through the shore. She then stopped and faced the vast ocean. The fairy of warfare closed her eyes and felt the soothing breeze blow on her face and the cold tides rush to her feet. Despite the isolation, she was in peace. Deep inside, she relished this moment of freedom.

After eating the delicious seafood that was cooked by Flora and Helia, it was time for some music. Musa and Sky took out their guitars and played various songs. Tecna and Timmy pulled out their cameras to record their performances. Sky and Brandon performed fun and stimulating duets together. Their smooth voices harmonized together and went very well with the songs. When it was Musa's turn to perform, all eyes and ears were on her. The fairy of music's soprano voice captivated everyone because its mellifluous and heavenly sound. If she were to become a professional singer, she would become a huge sensation. When the two guitarists played popular songs, some of the fairies and heroes sang along. The moment Riven opened his mouth to sing, Vincent accidentally bursted into laughter. The following people stopped singing and playing, and collapsed into laughter. Vincent finally stopped laughing and apologized to the bitter Riven. After this humorous event subsided, Musa turned to Heidi and encouraged her sing. Heidi initially refused, but the encouragement of her friends led her to finally perform. Heidi grabbed the guitar from Musa's hands and placed it in front of her. When she whispered the song title in one of Musa's ears, the fairy of music understood and immediately pulled out a harmonica from her bag. For Heidi's performance, Musa will aid her with backup vocals and play another instrument. Along with the fairies and the heroes, Vincent waited in curious anticipation for the performance. After everything was set, it began. When the performance started, the fairies and heroes exchanged looks of puzzlement. The song that was being performed was unheard of. Several seconds after the performance began, they figured out that it was an original song. With Musa's expertise in music, she helped Heidi write and compose the song. The sound that the instruments were creating was tender and melancholic, and Heidi's contralto vocals were haunting and captivating. The lyrics were very powerful and meaningful; they contained vivid metaphors and symbolisms involved with fate, chance, and inner conflict. The song tells a tragic story about an individual who is trapped in an internal struggle. He tries to obtain his one and only chance to finally be in love; however, he is unable to do so because he cannot win against his cruel fate. The Winx intimately leaned on the Specialists as they listened. The depth of the song touched their hearts and drew out their emotions. Everyone sympathized forlorn hero of the song as listened to the powerful lyrics. Touched by the music and lyrics, Vincent silently watched Heidi attentively. He did not even take his eyes off of her for even a second. He was just too enamored. When the performance ended, the fairies wiped their tears and applauded along with the Specialists. Vincent modestly clapped and gently smiled. While Musa smiled and appreciated everyone's applause, Heidi remained indifferent.

* * *

Stella dramatically gasped in excitement as she stared at her tablet.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Tecna, arching one of her eyebrows in puzzlement.

"Ultramarine Island has the most beautiful seashells in the whole dimension!" exclaimed Stella, passing the tablet around.

"They are very beautiful," agreed Flora.

"Indeed," Helia agreed as well.

"The best-looking seashells can only be found underwater," said Stella, in disappointment. "I really want to have some! They would make gorgeous jewelry!"

"If you really want them so much, why don't you get them yourself?" asked Tecna.

"Are you crazy?! I would drown if I tried to get them!" shouted Stella, pouting her lips.

Heidi realized how desperate Stella was and decided to do it. "I can retrieve those seashells for you."

Stella immediately faced Heidi with sparks in her amber eyes. "You'll do that for me?!"

"Yes," replied Heidi.

The elated Solarian princess gave the stoic supersoldier a hug. "Thank you so much, Heidi! You are the best!"

Once Stella released her, Heidi created a mesh bag using magic and faced the ocean.

"Hey, Heidi. Would you like some of us to come with you?" asked Brandon, volunteering to go with her.

"No, I prefer to accomplish this task on my own," said Heidi.

"Oh, okay," said Brandon, feeling slightly turned down.

Heidi departed from the group and approached the shore. Once the water came up to her waist, she sank into the aquatic water and swam away. After she left, the group turned away and conversed.

"What a loner," said Riven.

"Ha, speak for yourself," scoffed Layla.

"Her case is way more serious," Riven defended.

"Is something wrong with her?" asked Vincent, finally speaking up.

"About Heidi? Why do you ask?" asked Bloom, turning to face the amnesiac.

"Although I have been here for a short amount of time, I noticed that she's very distant. She doesn't display too much emotions and she isolates herself." told Vincent, speaking out of concern, "Is something troubling her?"

The fairies and heroes exchanged uncertain looks. They questioned themselves if they should tell Vincent about Heidi. However, they decided not to.

"Sorry, but we're not in the position to tell you about Heidi. It's quite personal," said Sky.

"If you really want to know the reason, you will have to ask Heidi herself; however, you must to gain her trust first," said Helia, giving a good advice to Vincent.

"Oh, alright," understood Vincent. The connotations behind their explanations told Vincent that Heidi's background was dark and unpleasant. However, this only added fuel to Vincent's determination to know the truth. Then, Vincent got up on his feet. "Will you all excuse me? I would like to take a walk."

"Sure, why not," Timmy allowed.

"Yeah, go ahead," said Layla.

"Make sure you know how to get back here and not get lost," said Riven.

"He may be an amnesiac, but he's not an idiot or a five-year-old child," said Tecna, defending Vincent.

"Don't mind what he says. Just go," said Musa, glaring at her boyfriend.

"Thank you," Vincent appreciated everyone's consent.

After Vincent's departure, the Winx and the Specialists conversed.

"Oh, this is very interesting," said Stella, with a cheeky grin.

"What is?" asked Musa.

"Haven't you all noticed it?!" Stella asked surprisingly.

"Noticed what?" asked Tecna.

"Vincent taking a liking to Heidi! Oh, this is so beautiful and lovely! A love formed between a savior and a rescuee!" exclaimed Stella, leaning her cheek against her clasped hands.

"Stella, I hate to break your romantic vision, but I don't think Vincent likes Heidi. He's just being very considerate towards her," said Brandon.

"No, Vincent likes Heidi! The way he looks at her and treats her makes it so obvious!" Stella defended her opinion.

"Any guy would look at Heidi the same way Vincent does. She's a very beautiful girl," said Sky.

"If the guy really likes her, his feelings towards her won't last. It'll only end up as a mere infatuation" said Riven.

"A mere infatuation?! What makes you think that?!" shouted Stella, questioning Riven's opinion.

"Think about this rationally. Do you really believe that he's going to feel the same way towards Heidi once he finds out the truth? The truth will be too shocking and frightening to accept. The feelings he holds for her will die away," said Riven.

"How can you say such a thing?" Stella, who seemed to be on the verge of tears, stared at Riven in disappointment. "It's not Heidi's fault that she has such a horrible past."

"I'm well-aware that Heidi's not the one to blame for her own past. I sympathize what she has gone through; however I still believe this relationship won't exist. Okay, let's say Vincent does accept the truth and still feels the same way. His pursuit for Heidi will only be out of sympathy, not pure interest. Being in a relationship through obligation is one of the worst things out there in life. Also, Heidi won't reciprocate his feelings once he confesses. Love is too complex for her to comprehend."

"Her emotions may be suppressed, but we can help her!"

"And how long will that take?" questioned Riven, stunning the Solarian princess. "Encouraging suppressed emotions to resurface isn't an easy task as you think. After all that awful crap that she has gone through, it's nearly impossible for her to break through that cold, stoic demeanor. Unless a miracle occurs, this whole relationship will never happen." The atmosphere became somber after the maverick hero gave out his cruel but reasonable explanation. "I'm not saying this to be mean; I'm saying this because I care about Heidi as a friend. It's really cruel how fate turned out for Heidi. If this relationship is pursued, both of them will get hurt in the end."


	16. The Unexpected

**Sorry for the late update again.**

**I've been going through a lot of stuff lately, so I was unable to write.**

**This chapter may contain awkward sentence structures and grammatical errors, but overall it's pretty good.**

**Enjoy and review!**

**P.S. "The Great Gatsby" was amazing! XD**

* * *

The pale grey clouds shrouded the radiant sun and the blue sky. At the rocky shoreline, the musing amnesiac sat on top of a large rock and gazed through the endless ocean. Despite the sound of the powerful waves splashing against the rocks, it did not interfere with his deep thoughts. Vincent silently recalled the words spoken by Heidi and the Specialists.

_"Possessing the power of destruction is dangerous and unpredictable. It can betray your own will and consume you. It is a frightening power."_

_"Beauty is just a facade. People tend to believe what they see in front of their sight and fall for it. However, once people finally get a glimpse underneath of that guise, their romantic illusion is shattered. Beauty is ambiguous: it can either lead to a great splendor or a consequential tragedy."_

_"Sorry, but we're not in the position to tell you about Heidi. It's quite personal."_

_"If you really want to know the reason, you will have to ask Heidi herself; however, you must to gain her trust first."_

Vincent inaudibly sighed and spaced out. _"The mystery that surrounds her is so tantalizing. I can't help but feel curious. At first I was enamored by her rare beauty. Now, I've become more attracted to her enigmatic presence. She's beginning to haunt my mind."_

Suddenly, a heavy bag of sea shells were safely thrown over a larger rock in front of him. Vincent tilted his head and stared in confusion. He stood up from his sitting position, walked up to the bag of seashells, and wondered where it came from. Few seconds later, a drenched figure emerged from the ocean and climbed up to the largest rock. Vincent stared in awe as he saw the fairy of warfare standing fifteen feet apart from him. Heidi twisted her long platinum blonde hair and squeezed the excess salt water out of it. Before she retrieved the bag of seashells, she caught sight of the Vincent. What stood in front of the amnesiac was a pulchritudinous figure. The aquatic droplets on her quintessential physique served as ephemeral embellishments, contouring her sensuous curves. Vincent remained speechless. All he could do was stare in awe like a captivated fool. After this brief moment, Heidi picked up the bag of seashells and casually walked past Vincent. The amnesiac forcefully shook his head and finally snapped back to reality. He quickly turned around, jumped off of the rocks, and followed Heidi. Few seconds later, Vincent caught up with her and walked by her side.

"Here, let me hold that for you," insisted Vincent, wanting to hold the bag of seashells for her.

"That will not be necessary," replied Heidi.

"The bag looks heavy. Are you sure you can carry that all the way back to the site?"

"Yes."

Vincent silenced and scolded at himself for asking such a stupid question. Of course Heidi can carry it without any trouble. She was the fairy of warfare. A bag of seashells was utterly a child's play to her. After the denied offer, the atmosphere became dull and awkward. Not one of them spoke a word to each other as they continued to walk. It was not out of grudge; it was just unfamiliarity. To break the suffocating silence and get acquainted with each other, Vincent gained back the courage to speak.

"You're an excellent singer and dancer. I was very entertained," Vincent referred back to the events from the Empyrean and the music performance.

"Thank you," replied Heidi, indifferently.

"Do you plan to become a singer or a dancer like Musa and Layla?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I do not possess the same passion and aspirations as those two. Musa's vocal prowess is incomparable to other musical artists, and Layla's expertise and versatility in dance is magnificent. I only stand at mediocrity."

Vincent discovered a hidden trait from Heidi: humility. She is unaware of her multiple talents, but does not boast about them. Not only she was beautiful, she was very modest. Vincent admired this trait from her.

"So, what do you aspire to do?"

"I am still uncertain."

"Oh, I see."

Another awkward silence followed, but after several seconds, Vincent persisted.

"This may sound like a really dumb question, but do you believe yourself to be an excellent warrior?"

"I am the fairy of warfare. It is undeniable that combat is my specialty."

Vincent nodded his head and faced forward. "May I ask you another question?" Heidi glanced at Vincent and silently gestured him permission. "What is it that you fight for?"

The question struck Heidi. The fairy of warfare stopped walking, halting Vincent as well. She did not know the answer to his question. After the brief confusion, she regained her usual expression and answered his question.

"I am a mere tool of war. I do not have anything to fight for. I just fight."

"A mere tool of war? Don't you think you're downgrading yourself?"

"No, I am only speaking the truth."

"What about your friends? Aren't they worth fighting for?"

"Of course."

"Then shouldn't they be your reason to fight for? Why do you keep yourself distant from those who care about you? You care about them, don't you?"

"I do not feel comfortable with your interference," said Heidi, staring seriously at Vincent.

Vincent recoiled at Heidi's cold and grim stare. His attempt to get acquainted with her turned into meddling. For his intrusive behavior, he felt guilty.

"I'm sorry.," apologized Vincent. "I didn't mean to meddle with your personal life. I just wanted to-"

Suddenly Heidi's stoicism immediately dissipated into alertness. Without any warning, the fairy of warfare interrupted the amnesiac's explanation by pushing him down to the ground. The moment he was pushed, Vincent saw a phosphorescent bullet three inches away from his eyes. The amnesiac fell on his back and stared in shock. His tri-colored eyes enlarged to their full extent and his body shivered in fear. Then, more lethal bullets approached Vincent. Heidi dropped the bag of seashells, summoned a saber, and defended Vincent. The bullets ricocheted off of her weapon as they came swiftly. As the ammunitions kept blasting forward, Heidi noticed that they were not man-made; they were magic-based. After fending off countless blows, everything stopped. There was nothing but silence in the air. The fairy of warfare held up her saber and stared fiercely at the luscious forest, where the bullets came from. Vincent slowly got up on his feet and stared at the forest with fear and caution. It was so sudden and frightening that they were ambushed. The question was who was behind it. Then, Heidi felt an unnatural breeze behind her. The second she turned around, she was violently struck by a metallic arm. The fairy of warfare was sent flying twelve feet away and crashed on the shore. Vincent screamed out her name after witnessing the attack. Before he could take a step towards Heidi, a mysterious figure wearing a highly technological lightweight armor appeared in front of him. He possessed a slender and muscular physique, and stood 6'3. The assassin shifted his pistol into a katana and pointed it directly at Vincent. The startled amnesiac recoiled at the sight of the deadly weapon and stepped backwards. As he moved backwards, the assassin approached him with the katana still pointing at his target. Consumed by fear, Vincent lost his balance and fell on the ground. Nervous sweat rolled down from his head and tremors escaped from his body. The assassin sadistically toyed with his target by giving his a deep cut on his left arm. Vincent briefly screamed sharply and covered his arm from bleeding. Behind the mask, the assassin smiled at the sight of his target's pain and blood. Vincent gazed up fearfully and clenched his teeth tightly. The assassin then pointed his katana at his prominent Adam's apple and prepared to finally kill him. When he was about to execute his last move, Heidi appeared and hindered his action. She slashed her saber at him, but he managed to avoid getting hit. The assassin jumped back several feet away from the two and gazed in concealed hostility.

"How are you?" Heidi asked Vincent, staring at the assassin with intensity.

"I'll live," replied Vincent. When the amnesiac saw Heidi's face, he was stunned. The blunt force of the assassin's attack caused heavy bruising and slight fracture on the left side of her face. Drips of blood streamed down from her injury. "Oh my god, are you okay?!"

Heidi levitated the bag of seashells and threw it at Vincent, who barely caught it. "Go, I will take care of him myself."

"Are you crazy?! I can't leave you like this! You're hurt! Just look at your-"

Vincent stopped talking when he saw Heidi's injury healing own its own. After this speedy regenerative process, Heidi became well. The amnesiac stared in surprise. She appeared as if she didn't get hit.

"You will only be a nuisance if you stay. Get away from here as quickly as you can."

The reluctant Vincent finally gave in to her command. "Please, come back alive."

Vincent turned around and finally ran. The assassin swiftly shifted his katana back to his pistol and pulled the trigger at the runaway amnesiac. Heidi sliced the bullet in half before it could hit Vincent. The assassin took his eyes off of his target and stared at his opponent. The fairy of warfare quickly transformed her swimsuit attire into something more comfortable and convenient for battle. The assassin saw Heidi as a hindrance to his goal, so he must now kill her as well. Heidi held up her saber and glared at her adversary. Two deadly predators faced each other with same belligerent intent.


	17. Assassin

**Pretty quick update.**

**I haven't written action scenes in a while, so forgive me for my rustiness.**

**FYI, for "Fairy of Warfare," I changed few things but nothing major:**

**1.) Heidi's given name is Specimen NO. 009, not NO. 001**

**2.) Heidi's initial hair was short, but soon was charmed to grow longer.**

**Just to let you guys know.**

**Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Back at the site, the Winx and the Specialists formed little groups and participated in different activities: Tecna and Timmy spent most of their time absorbed in video games; Musa was playing her acoustic guitar from the distance so she doesn't disturb Riven's nap; Helia and Flora sat intimately at the shore and stared at the ocean; Sky, Brandon, Nabu, and Layla went out to surf the waves; Bloom and Stella laid on their vibrant beach towels and relaxed.

Stella laid flat on her stomach and spaced out in deep thought. "Bloom?"

"Yeah?" replied Bloom, facing up the sky.

"Do you think it's impossible?"

"What's impossible?"

"Do you think it's impossible for Heidi to be in love?"

"Are you still bothered with what Riven said?"

Stella turned over, sat up on her towel, and groaned, "I can't believe he said such a thing. If he really is Heidi's friend, he would have more faith in her progress!"

"Stella, don't get too worked up," said Bloom, sitting up as well, "Riven didn't say those words out of spite. He was only looking at her case in a more pragmatic way."

"Pragmatic? More like pessimistic!"

"I disagree with what Riven said, but I can understand where he's coming from. Knowing what Heidi's been through and what she's capable of, it does seem a bit frightening. Although we may have accepted the truth about her, it doesn't mean that everyone else will. There will be people who will look at her and treat her differently. Like what Riven said, it isn't her fault that she was born and raised under those circumstances; however, we live in a place of discrimination and oppression. Heidi won't have easy like the rest of us."

"What Riven lacks is hope! Even if it's only a tiny speck of it, he should still have faith!"

"I understand, Stella."

"I certainly know for sure that Vincent is attracted to Heidi! There's no doubt about it! The way he looks at her and the way he treats her makes it so obvious! He's so in love! They would make such a great couple!"

"Stella, don't get too excited. Even if it's true, I don't think this relationship is going to happen so quickly. Heidi's still trying to bring herself out of the dark, and we don't know how Vincent is going to react to her past. Rushing her process will only cause confusion."

"I just can't help it. I'm a sucker for love!"

"Well, try to exercise self-control. In order for us to help Heidi, we need to take this at a more cautious pace."

"Ugh, fine!" Stella crossed her arms and pouted her lips. "By the way, what's taking Heidi so long with those seashells? She should be back by now."

"I don't know. Also, what about Vincent? He hasn't been back for a while."

"Hey, there's Vincent!" exclaimed Stella, pointing at a specific direction, "That's strange. He has the bag of seashells."

Vincent ran towards the site as fast as he could, but was weighed down by the deep cut on his left arm and the bag of seashells. The closer he came, the more suspicious Bloom and Stella grew. The rest of the fairies and heroes stopped in the middle of their activities and saw Vincent. When he finally reached over to the site, he dropped the bag of seashells and collapsed on his knees. The Winx and the Specialists hurried over to the amnesiac and checked on his condition.

"Vincent, are you okay?! What happened?!" asked Sky.

Vincent did not answer quickly due to blood loss and exhaustion. After catching his breath and regaining his strength, he spoke.

"You guys have to help Heidi! She's in danger!"

The Winx and the Specialists exchanged looks of shock after hearing the news.

"Vincent, tell us what happened." demanded Brandon.

"Heidi and I met by coincidence...and together we walked to get back here. Suddenly, we were ambushed by a man in a dark lightweight armor," explained Vincent.

"A man in a dark lightweight armor...?" questioned Nabu.

Vincent vehemently nodded his head. "The strangest thing was that he didn't care about Heidi...he was only focused on me. He was after me!"

After hearing this information, the fairies and heroes looked at each other in stunned silence. They had the same thought: the man Vincent described was definitely the person who tried to kill him.

"I can hear a violent struggle two miles away from here," informed Musa.

"Please, you have to help Heidi! This man could kill her!" pleaded Vincent.

"You don't have to worry about Heidi," said Riven, earning Vincent's surprised expression, "Heidi's the fairy of warfare. She won't die so easily."

"Come on, what are we waiting for?! Let's go find her!" shouted the impatient Stella.

"I'll come with you, guys," said Vincent.

"No, you stay right here. You need to get that arm treated. If you come along with us, you'll pass out from blood loss," Sky said firmly.

"I have to go! You guys will need me to lead the way," insisted Vincent.

"Don't be an idiot! We can find Heidi without your help. You'll only slow us down," told Riven, in an acerbic tone.

"Vincent, you don't have to worry. The others will take care of everything. Helia and I will stay here to take care of your wound," assured Flora.

Vincent sighed and reluctantly agreed to their demands. "Okay, I'll stay."

The Winx transformed into Enchantix fairies and the Specialists grabbed their weapons from their bags. Once the quick preparation was made, they quickly moved out. In his helpless state, Vincent watched their departure.

* * *

The metallic clangs reverberated from the feral weapons clashing into each other. The two opponents mercilessly battled against each other without any hesitation. As Heidi was fighting against the assassin, she noticed something very particular. His movement and technique were very similar to what she had encountered before; however, they were more polished and superior. The two struck their weapons together and pushed against each other. Five inches away from each others' faces, Heidi and the assassin stared into each other in cold brutality. Suddenly, the assassin's strength began to overwhelm the fairy of warfare, subduing her. With her clever thinking, she projected magic into her saber and caused a blinding explosion. The assassin flipped backward and was surrounded by smokescreen. Seconds later, Heidi appeared by surprise and immediately attacked him in the front. The assassin was unable to counterattack. Heidi ferociously and adroitly swung her saber at her adversary, not giving him a chance to fight back. Due to her unrelenting power and speed, the assassin became overwhelmed and was finally hit. He crashed into the ground several feet away and with a large cut through his armor; however, the superb armor prevented her attack from being fatal. The moment the assassin recovered, he saw a shadow hovering over him. He looked up and saw Heidi ready to slash her weapon down. Luckily, the assassin dodged in time and jumped extremely high in the air. Heidi jumped up to reach his aerial distance and clashed with him. Despite being in air, the two brutal combatants continued their assault. The fairy of warfare managed to hover over the assassin and forcefully strike him down. As he fell, the assassin drew out energy in his hand and immediately projected multiple blasts at Heidi. Heidi negated his attacks by swiftly blocking and dodging them; however, the assassin manipulated the ones she avoided to hit from behind. Heidi turned her head and noticed the blasts approaching her. The fairy of warfare negated the returning blasts, but suddenly encountered more from behind. The assassin mercilessly projected more and more energy blasts at her. Heidi attempted to defend herself against these relentless attacks, but soon became submerged. The energy blasts assaulted her brutally and quickly, trapping her in a glowing sphere. The assassin held up his hand towards the sphere and closed it into a fist, causing a devastating explosion.

* * *

The Winx and the Specialists stopped when they heard a loud explosive sound.

"Whoa, what the hell was that?!" questioned Nabu.

"An explosion occurred. Most likely a mile away from where we are," calculated Timmy.

"Timmy's exactly right. It is coming from a mile ahead," informed Musa.

"We're very near to where the battle is," said Brandon.

"Well, what are we standing here for?! Let's go and help Heidi out!" shouted the impatient Stella.

"Heidi, hold on. We're coming," Bloom said to herself.

The fairies and the heroes stopped their conversation and continued their travel.

* * *

Heidi's saber spun uncontrollably and fell from the air. Once it pierced deeply through the sand it dissipated into magical sparks The assassin landed safely at the shore and looked up to where the explosion occurred. The thick smokescreen shrouded the area, making it difficult to see if he killed her. Strangely, he did not see her fall from the air or hear her crash into the ocean. When the smokescreen slowly dissipated, the assassin could finally see what happened. Up in the air, Heidi was still present; however, she looked different. Just before the assassin caused the deadly explosion, Heidi transformed into an Enchantix fairy. She floated high up in the air and stoically stared at the assassin. Despite the transformation, she was still injured by the impact of the explosion. She suffered from severe burns and wounds from different parts of her body. As she stared at her adversary, blood dripped down from her injuries and caused crimson ripples in the ocean water. Heidi calmly descended from the air and landed fifteen feet away from him. Once she landed, her regenerative abilities healed her injuries quickly and renewed her physical state. The unpleased assassin glared at the fairy of warfare through his mask and positioned himself offensively. Heidi did not position herself in any way. She remained still and continued to stare at him. With his rapid speed, he flew over to her and violently slashed his katana. Calmly, Heidi raised her hand and stopped the forceful blow with her hand. The assassin pushed his weapon down harder, but Heidi's enhanced strength hindered his action. Then, the fairy of warfare summoned her nodachi and horizontally slashed it at him. The assassin was sent flying across the shore and crashed into the rocks. He slowly rose up from the wet sand and covered his wound on the left side of his waist. The very long blade of the nodachi should have bifurcated him, but his adamant armor managed to save his life once again. Knowing that Heidi has become a more dangerous threat now, the assassin decided to resort to a different method. Instead of his hand his entire body began to emanate in energy, including his katana. His power level has increased tremendously through this process. Once he finally enhanced himself, he alacritously appeared behind Heidi and attacked. Fortunately, Heidi managed to see through his movement and blocked his attack. The vicious collision between these two fighters resulted in sustained injuries. Despite the hindering harm, they continued to fight until one of them was killed. Heidi and the assassin pushed each other and stood several feet away. They directly positioned their weapons to their desired ways and charged at each other. Before they could clash once more, they heard a female shout.

"Dragon Fury!"

The assassin avoided the attack in time and separated himself from the fairy of warfare. Heidi turned to her right and saw her comrades. Soon, everyone dispersed and surrounded the enemy.

"Surrender, you have nowhere to run," told Sky, demanding the assassin to give up.

The assassin looked around and noticed that he was surrounded by magical fairies and skilled heroes. Few seconds later, the assassin lowered his weapon and walked away.

"Hey, where the hell are you going?!" questioned Riven.

Heidi charged over to the assassin by flight and slashed her nodachi. However, the moment she slashed her weapon, the assassin transformed into a black mist and vanished into thin air. This action caused surprise and confusion to everyone. Heidi triggered her enhanced vision and looked around her surrounding. She saw no sign of the assassin anywhere. After looking around, she converted her eyes and attire back to normal. Soon, the rest of the fairies changed back to their swimsuits.

"Heidi, are you okay?!" checked Bloom.

"Yes," replied Heidi.

"Well, we're glad that you're safe," said Brandon.

"For you to transform into a fairy, the enemy must have been a skillful warrior," Sky pointed out.

"Yeah, that's true. Heidi doesn't usually transform unless it's necessary!" agreed Musa.

Heidi stoically walked away from the group.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked Nabu.

Heidi stopped and replied, "We must leave this island. It is no longer safe here."

"What?! It hasn't even been a week!" shouted the disappointed Stella.

"If we continue to stay here, the assassin will continue his murderous pursuit," said Heidi.

"Heidi's right. The assassin will come back and try to kill Vincent again. It will be wise for us to return to Magix," informed Tecna.

"Fine..." mumbled the childish Stella.

After her formidable battle against the assassin, Heidi hurried back to the site with her comrades.


	18. Protection

**Hey, everyone. Just to let you all know that I am in Korea, visiting my family for vacation.**

**I will try to write and update new chapters whenever I have the free time to do so.**

**This chapter isn't as exciting as the previous chapter, but I promise that there will be more action and drama ahead.**

**Enjoy and comment!**

* * *

The concerned amnesiac endlessly spaced out in anxiety, while the fairy of nature and the pacifistic hero treated his arm. Despite the painful appliances of stitches and hydrogen peroxide on his wound, Vincent did not display any distress. He was too worried to feel pain.

"Okay, Vincent. We finally closed up the wound on your arm. All you need to do now is rest because you lost a considerable amount of blood," said Helia.

Flora came over to Vincent and bandaged his arm. "It must have been very difficult for you to come here with an injured arm. We're relieved that you're well now."

"Will she be alright?" Vincent whispered audibly as he still spaced out, "This is the second time she saved my life. If anything happens to her, I won't be able to forgive myself."

"Vincent, nothing bad is going to happen to Heidi," assured Flora, in her sweet tone.

"You weren't there to see it," said Vincent, looking at Flora in guilt, "Heidi got hurt from protecting me. This man was incredibly merciless. Despite the vicious attack, she stood up against him and told me to escape." Vincent clenched his teeth and balled up his hands into fists. "Damn it, I should have stayed behind and helped her! Instead, I ran away like a coward!"

"Vincent, you did the right thing," said Helia. Vincent looked at him in surprise. "Even if you had stayed behind, you wouldn't have been much of a support to her. You would have been more of a burden to her. Keep in mind that Heidi is the fairy of warfare."

"Helia is right. You don't have to worry about Heidi. She's going to be fine," said Flora.

"Yoo-hoo! Helia, Flora, Vincent!" exclaimed an effervescent voice from the distance.

The three of them turned and faced to the direction where the voice came from. To their relief, it was their friends. Vincent immediately stood up and stared at Heidi in stunned silence. She returned normal and intact. Soon, the fairies and the heroes regrouped.

"Heidi, are you okay?" asked Flora, looking concerned.

"Yes," answered Heidi.

Flora hugged the fairy of warfare out of relief. "Oh, thank goodness..."

"The enemy? questioned Helia, asking what happened to him.

"He escaped when we arrived," informed Brandon.

"You should have been there. There was a huge explosion and collision. It was pretty brief, but it was epic," told Stella.

Vincent's eyes increased in size and stared at Heidi in shock. After hearing what Stella said, he checked the fairy of warfare's condition from the distance. She was perfectly fine. Not even a single scratch on her. However, he recalled her possessing regenerative abilities. The amnesiac certainly knew that she sustained injuries from her battle against the assassin, but managed to heal them. Despite this knowledge, Vincent disliked the fact that she can get hurt as much as she can and heal. This meant that she will suffer more if she continues to persist.

"How are you feeling, Vincent?" asked Timmy.

Vincent turned his attention away from Heidi and faced Timmy. "Oh, I'm fine."

"He'll need to take it easy and rest. He lost a considerable amount of blood from rushing over here," said Helia.

"We're glad that you're doing okay, Vincent," said Nabu.

Heidi walked a short distance and separated herself from the group. "Time is growing short. We must leave here at once. It is unpredictable when the assassin will make his next ambush."

The Winx and the Specialists agreed and understood.

* * *

Once they returned to the beach house, the fairies and the heroes scattered and packed all of their belongings quickly as possible. Meanwhile, Vincent sat down on the sofa quietly with his suitcase beside him. As he waited downstairs, he heard loud noises of objects dropping on the wooden floor, suitcases being shut closed, and shouts from people upstairs. The amnesiac leaned forward and placed his chin on top of the palm of his hand. Gradually, everyone came downstairs with their luggage. The last person to come downstairs was Stella, since she packed the most out of everyone else. Heidi and Brandon came over to help Stella, who struggled to carry her suitcases. Everyone exited out of the house, placed everything in the vehicles, and finally departed.

The Winx and the Specialists traveled back to Magix by flight. It was quite unfortunate that their highly pleasant vacation had to end so abruptly. After the deadly incident that occurred, there was absolute seriousness in the atmosphere. No one cracked any jokes, made any blithe comments, etc. All they could focus on was the gravity of the situation they were in.

"How's your wound? Is it bothering you?" asked Flora, checking Vincent's arm.

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking," replied Vincent, with an appreciative smile on his face.

"I can't believe our vacation is ruined," mumbled Stella, pouting her lips as she stared out the window.

Bloom elbowed Stella's arm and gave her a reprimanding look. "Shush."

"Do you think we should tell Vincent?" Brandon asked Sky.

"This situation involves him. He deserves to know," replied Sky.

Vincent overheard and turned to Sky and Brandon. "Tell me about what?"

The prince of Eraklyon sighed heavily and turned to face the amnesiac. "We believe that the assassin you encountered was your murderer; the one who caused you to lose your memories."

"My murderer?! Why does he want to kill me?!" questioned the shocked Vincent.

"We don't know that. All we know for sure is that he is the one who made a failed attempt to murder you," answered Sky.

"Judging from the weapon he had, the head trauma you received was definitely caused by his katana. The scar and shape of the blade matches," informed Timmy.

Vincent spaced out in disbelief. "Oh my god...I can't believe this is happening to me."

"Don't worry though. We can guarantee you that you will be safe with us," promised Brandon.

"Where are we going?" asked the worried amnesiac.

"To Magix. Once we get there, you will stay with us at Red Fountain. My grandfather will offer you permission after he hears your story," said Helia.

"You're going to be fine, Vincent. Red Fountain is a very safe place," assured Musa.

Vincent looked down with a somber look. "I'm so grateful to all of you, yet I feel guilty as well."

"Why do you feel guilty?" asked Bloom, with a curious look.

"I'm being hunted down by a highly-trained assassin and you guys are protecting me. I'm putting everyone here in danger," explained Vincent.

"Vincent, look at me," said Bloom. Vincent held his head up and looked at the red-headed beauty, "Let go of that useless guilt and stop worrying. Everything's going to be fine."

"Bloom's right. If you're worried that we'll get hurt, then you're greatly mistaken. We're no ordinary people. We can protect ourselves," assured Nabu.

Vincent looked down with a puzzled expression. "I don't understand. I'm just a person you all just met. Why are you all helping me?"

"You don't need a reason to help others. If someone is in desperate need, you help them. There should never be discrimination when it comes to helping others," explained Bloom.

"Listen to Bloom, man. She's speaking the truth," said Brandon, who gave him a friendly slap in the arm.

"First, you all offered me shelter, and now you all have to protect me. I'm becoming more of a burden," said Vincent.

"Vincent, you're not a burden," said Bloom.

"Then what am I?" questioned the confused amnesiac.

"A friend," answered Bloom, after three seconds of silence. "Like what you said, we may have just met but that doesn't mean we can't be friends. Over time, we'll grow closer to each other. Simple as that."

"A friend...?" whispered Vincent, in a questioning tone.

"It was the same for Heidi. When we first met her, we formed an instant connection and became very good friends. It's only been three months and our friendship has grown stronger since then," told Musa.

"We promise you that everything will be alright. You can trust us," said Flora, sweetly.

"Quit brooding and just accept our damn offer. You're starting to piss me off," said Riven, irritated by Vincent's overwhelming concern.

"Thank you, everyone," sighed Vincent, finally accepting their generous offer of protection.

Meanwhile, Heidi isolated herself somewhere dim in the ship and endlessly spaced out. She thought back to the battle against the assassin. He was a formidable adversary. It was a great struggle fighting against someone with his skill. However, Heidi found the assassin's technique very familiar. The fairy of warfare pondered when and where she had seen his technique. After a brief amount of time, she finally figured it out. The assassin possessed the same technique as the bounty hunters from three months ago in Nyan Island; however, there was a huge difference between the two parties. Unlike the bounty hunters, the assassin was much more experienced and adroit. This realization made Heidi become austere. She knew for certain that the assassin and the bounty hunters were somehow connected to each other. However, there was one question Heidi had in mind. Why was the assassin after Vincent and not her? If he was connected to the bounty hunters, he should have targeted her instead. Then, more follow-up questions came. Who is Vincent? What was he before he lost his memories? How is he affiliated with the assassin? After coming up with these questions, Heidi walked over to the door and peeked through the small gap. Through the gap, she saw the Winx and the Specialists lighten up the atmosphere and make Vincent feel at ease. Her periwinkle eyes gazed suspiciously at the amnesiac, who was smiling gently at his new friends. Since this incident was connected to Vincent, Heidi knew that she had to keep an eye on him.


	19. Discussion

**Don't forget to review.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Four hours later, the Winx and the Specialists returned to Magix. They flew over to Red Fountain and descended to the landing platform. At the platform, Headmaster Saladin and Codatorta were present. Helia had called to inform his grandfather about their early arrival from vacation. When the ship landed, the fairies and heroes exited and greeted the two respectfully.

"Welcome back, everyone," greeted Saladin, smiling at the students.

"Thank you, headmaster," replied Bloom.

"Helia told me about what happened. Is everyone unharmed?"

"Yes, we're alright."

Saladin looked over and saw an unfamiliar face. "Is he the one?"

"Yes, grandfather. This is Vincent," introduced Helia.

The elderly wizard walked over to amnesiac and observed him. Vincent appeared nervous, but he tried to stay composed. The man standing in front of him will decide whether or not he will stay in Red Fountain.

"Come, let us not idle around," said Saladin, turning away from Vincent.

"Come on, Vincent. Let's go inside," said Bloom, gestured her head towards the entrance.

"Yes, of course," agreed Vincent.

The amnesiac followed the fairies and heroes inside the school.

* * *

Vincent looked around in amazement. Not only the outside architecture of Red Fountain was stunning, the interior of it was also the same. As he walked by, he saw a glimpse of the students sparring against each other. These students decided to not go to vacation and stay behind in campus. Vincent was impressed by the students' expertise and vigor in combat. He could potentially attend here and be one of those students, but he would first need to gain approval by the headmaster. When he and the others arrived in front of the headmaster's office, he was asked to wait outside. Vincent nodded his head and understood. To keep him company, Stella volunteered Heidi. Before the fairy of warfare could say something, everyone entered the office and shut the door closed.

Out in the corridor, it was just Heidi and Vincent. The atmosphere between them was again dull and awkward. They sat across from each other but haven't spoken a word to each other. Vincent secretly glanced at Heidi, who was sitting against the wall with her eyes closed. Knowing what she had been through, she was exhausted. Out of everyone in the group, Vincent felt the most guilt towards Heidi. She was the one who saved his life twice from death and had to suffer for it. Although he received confirmation that he was not a burden, he still had some lingering feelings attached to that matter. Soon, his glances transition into a long gaze. He couldn't lay his tri-colored eyes off of the stoic beauty. Despite her cold and distant personality, she possessed a tacit affection for her friends. She would resort to extreme measures to protect the them. They were not just her friends; they were her family.

"If you have something to say, say it. Your constant gazing is discomforting," said Heidi, with her eyes closed.

Vincent slightly recoiled when he heard Heidi speak to him. He assumed that she was asleep. However, he was greatly mistaken. Even in her slumber, Heidi did not let her guard down. She was still vigilant as ever.

"Oh, no. It's nothing at all," replied the nervous Vincent.

"Then cease your gazing."

Vincent looked away from Heidi and remained silent. He stared down at the marble floor where he saw his opaque reflection. A minute later, he looked up again and spoke.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Back in Ultramarine Island, that assassin was quite strong and merciless. I just wanted to know if you're hurt."

"No, I'm fine."

Vincent looked down with appreciation and guilt. "I want to thank you and apologize to you." Heidi finally opened her eyes and revealed her intense periwinkle irises. "You saved my life twice, and you got hurt because of me. I am awfully indebted to you, but I have no idea how to repay you for what you've done. I know that you and the rest just want me to recover my memories, but that's not enough. I put you all in such great danger because of my unknown past. I-"

"Enough," interrupted Heidi. Vincent stared at Heidi in surprise. "You have spoken enough."

"Sorry, I'm just really caught up in the situation," apologized Vincent, "Also, I want to apologize for what I said earlier at the beach. I shouldn't have been so intrusive with your personal business. I don't even know anything about you."

"Do not apologize. I have already forgotten about that."

Relief soothed over Vincent's worries. He calmed himself down and relaxed. Heidi closed her eyes and returned to her peaceful rest.

* * *

"So, that's it. That's the end of the story," said Bloom, after explaining everything that happened in Ultramarine Island.

"An amnesiac who is a target of a highly-trained assassin. A very grave situation," said Codatorta.

"Indeed it is," agreed Saladin.

"Will you grant Vincent permission to attend here?" asked Helia.

"Headmaster Saladin, you have to accept him. If you turn him down, he will have nowhere to go," pleaded Stella.

"Also, if he is out on his own, he will be easily detected by assassin and killed," said Layla.

"With our help, Vincent can learn how to defend himself from danger," said Helia.

The headmaster and the head teacher exchanged serious looks. After giving each other gestures, the decision was made.

Saladin turned and faced the students. "I would be a heartless man if I turned down such a person. He has my consent." The fairies and heroes sighed in relief and were glad to hear the headmaster's approval. "Will you all let Heidi in? I need to speak with her."

"Okay," complied Stella. The Solarian princess stepped outside and brought Heidi in. "Here she is."

"Thank you, Stella. Now, would the rest of you care to show Vincent around campus. Since he will be attending here, all of you can help him get accustomed here."

"Yes, sir," agreed Sky.

"Bye, Heidi. Catch up to us real soon," Musa bid farewell.

The Winx and the Specialists, except Heidi, left the office and began their tour guide with Vincent.

"Heidi, we would like to ask few questions regarding the incident," said Saladin. Heidi gave the headmaster a head nod. "What did the assassin look like? Any particular traits?"

"The assassin was considerably tall, standing around 6'3. He harnessed a dark, lightweight armor that was quite impenetrable. I was unable to determine his identity due to concealment; however, I know that he is quite young."

"How do you know that?"

"I deduced his age by observing his physique and analyzing his movements. It is certain that he has been trained as a merciless killer since infancy. I estimate that his age is around seventeen to twenty."

"How was he in battle?" asked Codatorta.

"He was an intelligent, formidable, and versatile opponent. Not only he was accomplished in hand-to-hand combat and weaponry, he was also proficient in the black arts."

"The black arts?! He's a wizard?!"

"Yes."

"He is more dangerous than we imagined."

"We must raise our defense in Red Fountain. If the assassin discovers the location of his target, he will stop at nothing to get rid of him," said Saladin

"Yes, of course," agreed Codatorta.

"Your students cannot match up to the assassin," said Heidi.

"What?" questioned Codatorta.

"Quantity will not triumph over that caliber of power. Your students will have to become much stronger than they are now," explained Heidi.

The headmaster and the head instructor wore serious expressions on their faces. If the fairy of warfare had difficulty fighting against the assassin, the students will not stand a chance against him. Heidi got up from the chair and walked over to the doors.

"Heidi, wait," Saladin called out. Heidi stopped in front of the doors and kept still. "I have a theory that this assassin might be a supersoldier, just like you. A victim of Doctor Ackerman's experimentation. Do you have the same thoughts?"

"No, he is not."

"How do you know?"

"I left no survivors in the massacre six years ago."

After their serious talk, Heidi opened the office doors and left.

* * *

A ray of light shone down in an unknown location of darkness. Water droplets were heard incessantly falling down from the spikes of stone. Suddenly, a black mist appeared under the light. The black mist formed into the figure of the assassin. Once the assassin arrived, he trudged his way deep in this hideout. Due to pain and exhaustion, the assassin breathed heavily underneath his mask. When he reached over to a dead end, he placed his hand and emanated energy. The energy transferred to the wall of stone gave him an access to a secret place. The wall of stone altered into a highly secured door that opened for him. Once he entered, the door altered back to its original form.

The assassin entered a dark room, which seemed to be his own bedroom, and closed the door shut behind him. He took off his mask and threw it to the side. Then, he began to shed his armor, revealing his wounds. Despite the impenetrable exterior of the armor, the fairy of warfare was able to pierce it through with her magical weapons. The assassin sat down on a chair and began to treat his wounds. After carefully stitching and cleansing his wounds, he bandaged himself up. The assassin turned to the right and looked at his armor. He picked up the broken piece and stared at it. Memories of his opponent went through his mind. After that fierce engagement, he now considered her as a hindering threat. The assassin took his golden eyes off of the broken piece of armor and gazed up in malice.


	20. New Residence

**Here's the new chapter.**

**I really apologize for such a late update. I really had a frustrating time writing this chapter. **

**It's not very exciting, but it's not horribly boring.**

**Enjoy and review!**

* * *

During Heidi's private discussion with Saladin and Codatorta, the Winx and the Specialists have been giving Vincent a tour of Red Fountain. Obviously the boys presented the campus with more detailed descriptions than the girls. Vincent displayed keen interest in the school. He earnestly paid attention as the heroes showed and explain different areas of the place.

"So, this is the weaponry center. This is where our weapons are produced and stored," introduced Sky.

"We have a variety of weapons, ranging from classical to modern. Practically, we have almost everything," explained Brandon.

"For our production of the weapons, we utilize high quality materials that are resilient and magic-resistant," added Timmy.

"Fascinating," said Vincent, checking out the exotic weapons.

"What are your thoughts of Red Fountain, Vincent?" asked Helia.

"The school is very magnificent. I'm honored to be a part of it," answered Vincent.

"Don't think of yourself like that yet," said Riven, earning the amnesiac's puzzled expression, "Just because you got permission to stay here doesn't mean you're a part of Red Fountain. You'll have to go through rigorous training for several hours a week to become a specialist. Do you think you can handle it?"

"I'll do my very best to keep up with everyone," responded Vincent, with moderate confidence.

"That's the spirit!" said Nabu, giving him a fist bump.

"Okay, you've seen enough of what's here. Let's move on," said Sky.

The Winx and the Specialists exited the weaponry center and moved on to another location. On their way, they encountered a familiar face. The fairy of warfare was leaning her back against the balcony railing with her arms crossed. In her solitude, Heidi stared intensely into the open space. She thought back to the encounter she had with the assassin. The memory of the experience displayed itself vividly like a cinema. Heidi looked back at the specific details that happened at the island and tried to figure out what she had missed. When she fought against the assassin, he was undoubtedly skilled and dangerous. His strength, speed, and technique were extraordinary. Suddenly, Heidi remembered one distinct detail that had been left out. The assassin's movements were more feral and less professional. A hired killer would display patience and composure to eliminate his or her targets quickly. The assassin, on the other hand, was too hasty and ferocious in his actions. Before he could even kill Vincent, he indulged in sadism by cutting the amnesiac's arm. After deciphering this fact, the fairy of warfare acknowledged that the motive was vengeance.

"Yoo hoo, Heidi!" exclaimed Stella, waving her arms happily.

Heidi looked up and saw the Winx and the Specialists approaching her. Once the fairies and heroes reached her, they conversed.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" asked Stella, curiously.

"The night breeze was alleviating so I decided to stay here and relax," said Heidi, making up an excuse.

"You seemed very tense," Flora pointed out, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," assured Heidi.

"Now that we're finished with the tour, why don't we go out and eat dinner?" suggested Brandon.

"Woo, dinner sounds great! said Stella, excited about the idea.

"Hey, I know an oriental restaurant in Magix. The service and the food are amazing," said Musa. The Winx and the Specialists exchanged looks of agreement. "What do you think, Vincent? Sounds good to you?"

"It's okay. I ate plenty of food hours ago and I'm still feeling full. You guys can go without me," lied Vincent.

"Vincent, don't try to fool us. We remember clearly that you didn't eat that much at the picnic," said Bloom, with her arms on her waist.

"It's okay, Vincent. You don't have to worry about the money. I told you that I'll take care of it," said Stella, generously.

"You can also depend on me too, Vincent. I'll be more than happy to help you out," offered Sky.

"Thank you, guys," said Vincent, with a guilty smile.

"Okay, follow me everyone! I'll lead you all to this awesome restaurant," exclaimed Musa.

Everyone followed the fairy of music, except for Heidi. Noticing her lack of presence, the group stopped and turned around.

"Heidi, aren't you coming?" asked Bloom.

"You may leave without me. I currently do not have the appetite to eat," said Heidi.

"What's wrong, Heidi? Are you sick?" asked Flora, looking concerned.

"No, I am just tired. I wish to return to Alfea and rest," lied Heidi, with a straight face.

"Are you sure, Heidi?" asked Bloom.

"Yes," replied Heidi, in certainty.

"Okay, get back safely. We'll see you soon," said Bloom.

Heidi replied back with a head nod. The Winx and the Specialists waved goodbye to her and left. Vincent looked over his shoulder and glanced at Heidi in disappointment. Once they disappeared, Heidi turned around and left for Alfea.

* * *

From Red Fountain to Alfea, Heidi finally returned after a harmless walk. Once she returned to the dorm, she immediately changed into her comfortable attire and washed up. After doing so, she slowly walked out to the living room and sat down on the sofa. Kiko came out of Bloom and Flora's bedroom and hopped over to Heidi's side. He jumped on her lap and laid down comfortably. Heidi stoically stared at the blue rabbit but caressed him gently. Then, she bent over and pulled out her wallet from her bag. She opened it up and saw the little money that remained. The real reason why she declined the dine-out was financial issue. Heidi knew very well that her friends are generous people, but she refused to depend on them like she did in the past. They offered her home and education. She did not want to burden them with anymore. Heidi was not weak-willed as Vincent. She disliked involving people with her personal problems and wished to deal with them herself. Then, she pulled out a business card that was given to her in Ultramarine Island. After considering the offer, she finally made her decision. The towheaded beauty pulled out her smartphone and dialed the mobile phone number on the business card. As she waited, she walked out to the balcony and stood quietly. Finally, someone picked up.

"Hello, this is Levent Pierce speaking," answered the CEO of Epitome Models.

"Hello, this is Heidi. If you recall, I am the individual you tried to scout in Ultramarine Island," replied Heidi.

"Oh, yes! I remember you quite well. So, have you decided?"

"Yes, I have made my decision."

* * *

"Cheers!" exclaimed the fairies and heroes, merrily clashing their glass of oriental wine and drank it.

"Damn, that hit the spot!" said Riven, after drinking his wine.

"Don't drink too much, Riven. You don't want to get drunk like last time," warned Helia.

"Don't worry, I won't get careless," assured Riven, arching one of his eyebrows.

"The food is spectacular here!" commented Layla, "Musa, how did you find out about this place?"

"Well, I had a craving for real oriental cuisine so I did some research and found out about this place," told Musa.

"You did a really good job, Musa. I'm coming back to this place again," said Brandon.

"Definitely," agreed Nabu.

"So how's the food, Vincent? Do you like it?" asked Musa.

Vincent nodded his head and smiled. "Yes, it's very delicious."

"I'm glad you like it," said Musa, smiling at him back.

Stella placed down her chopsticks and rubbed her nearly flat stomach. "Oh, I am so full. I feel like my stomach is about to explode."

"You should try to chew a lot and eat slower. It takes twenty minutes for your brain to tell you to decrease your appetite. If you eat fast then your brain will still think you're hungry. This is one of reasons why people gain weight," explained Tecna.

Stella enlarged her amber eyes and gasped dramatically. "No, I can't get any fatter!"

Everyone at the table rolled her eyes in annoyance and groaned, except for Vincent. Vincent looked around the table with an innocent and curious look.

"Hey, what's up with everyone?" Vincent asked Layla in a whispered volume.

"Forty percent of the time, Stella brings up the topic about her dissatisfaction with her weight. It's really annoying," explained Layla.

"Stella, you're not fat at all. You're perfectly fine," said Bloom.

"Well, why don't you ask Tecna here for her opinion. Obviously, she thinks I'm fat!" said Stella.

Tecna stared back at Stella with her enormous teal eyes. "I did not say that you're fat. I also think you're fine the way you are."

"Oh, really?! You just hinted that I was fat!"

"I was just stating the general fact that causes weight gain. That statement wasn't only based on you, Stella!"

As this humorous argument continued, Vincent watched in gentle amusement and chuckled.

"Vincent, say something here," said Bloom, asking for his help.

"Stella, no matter what happens to your body I believe you will always be stunning," said Vincent, giving his honest opinion.

Stella's mood changed positively and gave Vincent a riendly hug. "Oh, Vincent! Thank you so much! You are the sweetest!"

However, Stella's friendly hug wasn't quite pleasant. The Solarian princess wrapped her arms around the amnesiac and squeezed him in happiness. Little did she know, she was actually suffocating him. The discomfort tightened all of the muscles and bones of his body. He writhed and struggled to free himself, but Stella continued to hug him. Then, he eyed Brandon to save him. The squire stepped in and pulled Stella off of him.

"Okay, Stella! That's enough! You don't wanna kill someone who just gave you a compliment," said Brandon.

Once Vincent was freed, his tri-colored eyes augmented abnormally and he clutched his heart. The amnesiac gasped for air and coughed erratically. Majority of fairies and heroes spat out whatever they had in their mouths and laughed uncontrollably.

Riven wiped off the wine that he accidentally spat and laughed, "Holy shit...the expression on his face was too good!"

"Oh my god, those were the weirdest noises I've heard in my life," commented Sky, referring to Vincent's gasping and coughing.

Riven imitated Vincent's actions and caused even more laughter.

"Beware of Stella's death hugs," said Nabu, in a deep comical voice.

"My hugs aren't deadly! People love getting hugs from me!" said the offended Stella.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Layla, with a grin on her face.

"Hmph!" Stella crossed her arms and looked away.

"Vincent, are you okay?" asked Flora, who came over to ease his discomfort.

Vincent's breathing rate went back to normal and nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Sorry about that. When someone compliments on Stella's appearance, she can get TOO friendly," Bloom apologized on Stella's behalf.

"No, it's okay. I understand," said Vincent, forgiving Stella for her overly-elated behavior.

"Damn, I wish this was caught on tape. That was just too funny!" laughed Riven.

"I already did," said Timmy, presenting the evidence on his smartphone.

"Timmy, you are a genius! You've got to send it to me!" exclaimed Brandon.

"Excuse me," said the waitress, who came over to their table, "Will you please lower your voices? We're getting complaints from customers about the noise."

"Oh, we're sorry. We'll be quiet now," apologized Bloom.

After the waitress left, the majority of the fairies and heroes giggled in silence.

"Oh, I wish Heidi was here. She's missing out on the fun," said Musa.

"Yeah, too bad she's not here with us," said Timmy.

"After what Heidi had gone through in Ultramarine Island, she deserves rest," said Bloom.

Vincent looked down contritely after Bloom mentioned the incident.

"Damn, who the hell was that assassin and why was he after Vincent?" questioned Brandon.

"Beats us," said Nabu.

"Whoever he was, he was quite malicious," said Flora.

Helia turned and faced Vincent. "Vincent, have you gained anything from your memories? Even the slightest?"

Vincent shook his head in disappointment. "I can't remember anything. Everything's still obscure."

"Take your time, Vincent. Your memories will come back to you soon," promised Bloom.

Vincent nodded his head and smiled gently.

After the lively dinner at the oriental restaurant, the Winx and the Specialists parted and went back to their schools.

* * *

The Winx have arrived safely at Alfea. Before going to the residence hall, they reported to Faragonda about the event that occurred in Ultramarine Island. However, Faragonda knew about it through Saladin. After their report, the fairies left the headmistress's office and went straight to the residence hall. When they entered their dorm, they were greeted by Kiko. After being welcomed by the blue rabbit, the girls noticed that Heidi was asleep. The fairies tried their best not to wake up the sleeping supersoldier. Flora quietly came over and pulled the light sheets over Heidi to keep her warm. Soon, the girls washed up, got dressed, and went to sleep.

At Red Fountain, the Specialists finally arrived and crashed into their dorm. Due to the time, Nabu decided to sleep over. The wizard will be sharing a room with Helia, Riven, and Timmy. Vincent, on the other hand, will be sharing a room with Sky and Brandon. The prince and the squire generously offered to let the amnesiac to reside in their room. Before they entered the dorm, the Specialists saw a stack of floor mattress, blanket, and pillow outside of the door. Knowing they were for Vincent, Sky and Brandon picked them up and brought them over to their room. After surveying the room, the two found an appropriate spot to lay the bedding.

"Okay, everything's set. This is where you'll be sleeping, unless you want to move somewhere else," said Brandon.

"No, here is fine. Thank you for letting me stay with you two," appreciated Vincent.

"No problem. Just make yourself comfortable. This place is practically your home," said Sky.

Vincent understood and nodded his head. Brandon entered the bathroom to clean himself up and Sky walked over to his smartphone to call Bloom. Luckily, she was still awake and picked up his call. To keep himself from boredom, Vincent walked outside to the balcony and enjoyed the sight. From the aerial view, he saw the vibrant city lights of Magix miles away and the two boarding schools: Alfea and Cloud Tower. However, the amnesiac's attention was mainly focused on the school for fairies. Vincent reached his hand out towards Alfea. It was the prestigious place where his towheaded savior resided.


	21. Training

**This is the longest chapter I have ever written in my LIFE!**

**It was pretty fun writing this chapter, despite the little action that takes place here.**

**I updated this long chapter quicker than I expected, so give me some credit here.**

**If there are grammatical errors or weird sentence structures, I apologize.**

**Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

* * *

"Hey, Vincent! Wake up!" shouted Brandon, pushing the sleeping amnesiac.

Vincent rolled over on the mattress, slowly opened his eyes, and silently groaned. "Is it time to go to class?"

"No, we're still on vacation for more than a week. We're going out to train," informed Brandon.

Vincent, now fully awake, looked at Brandon in curiosity. "Training?"

"We decided to train you before the new semester starts," said Sky, who stepped in to join the conversation, "It won't look good if you're way behind than the rest of the guys, would it?" Vincent gestured in agreement. "Good, now hurry up and get ready."

Vincent got up from the mattress and prepared to leave.

At the training center, nobody was present. It was silent and empty. To fill up the open space, the Specialists unlocked the building and entered the gymnasium. With wandering eyes, Vincent looked at the massive size of the area in amazement. Then, he stopped when one of the Specialists spoke to him.

"Listen, Vincent," said Helia, with serious look, "As you know, the new semester starts in eleven days. Before that time comes, we're going to train you. Due to the short amount of time, we're not going to go easy on you. You're going to have to train rigorously and keep up with us. Do you understand?"

Vincent nodded with a confidence. "I understand. Thank you for offering to train me."

"No problem, man! Besides, we don't want those muscles to deflate like Timmy's," joked Brandon.

"Hey, I heard that!" shouted Timmy, pouting like a child.

"This fool doesn't know what he's getting himself into," murmured Riven, with a sly smirk on his face. The maverick hero changed his expression into a serious one and faced the amnesiac. "You better be really grateful for having us as your instructors. You don't want to be anyone's bitch here. Especially Mason's."

"Who's that?" asked Vincent, curiously.

"Mason is a senior specialist like the rest of us. He comes from a lineage of prominent warriors in his home realm. However, he is the most obnoxious and narcissistic person you will ever meet!" informed Sky.

"He has his own gang who follows him around and worships him. That asshole is nothing special" said Riven, swinging around the wooden sword.

"Plus, he gets a lot of girls from Alfea and Red Fountain, and sleeps with them. They're just attracted by his looks and wealth," added Brandon.

"If you piss him off, he will target you mercilessly," said Riven, "Take Timmy for an example." The maverick hero patted the geeky hero's arms. "He became one of Mason's victim for refusing to do his assignments. Mason pummeled the crap out of Timmy. It was NOT a pretty sight."

"Damn, this guy's an asshole," said Nabu, after hearing all this information.

"Hey, I thought we agreed that we're going to bring this up!" shouted Timmy, embarrassed.

"Despite his negative behavior, Mason is undoubtedly one of the best students in Red Fountain," said Helia.

"So, he's a bully," concluded Vincent.

"A very ruthless one," said Timmy.

"Shouldn't you guys report him to the authority?" asked Vincent.

"It will be no use if we report him. His family is one of the main supporters in Red Fountain. If Mason is kicked out, his family will take away all their investments and leave this school in financial crisis," said Sky.

"Remember where you are, Vincent. This is Red Fountain, not grade school. Every specialist is responsible for himself. You either become strong or you leave. That's the code here," said Riven, sternly.

"You become a victim of injustice if you submit to fear and weakness," said Helia.

Vincent thought back to the incident in Ultramarine Island. Due to his fear and weakness, he became an easy target for the assassin. Thanks to Heidi, he barely managed to escape death with only a cut on his arm. He vividly remembered how dauntless Heidi was. Despite the dangerous situation, she maintained composure and battled it out. After the brief retrospection, Vincent looked up in determination. He can no longer be a victim or a burden anymore.

"I understand. Let's not waste anymore time. I would like to start to now," said Vincent, firmly.

The Specialists smiled at Vincent's resolve.

"Okay, let's begin," said Sky.

* * *

Inside the gymnasium of Alfea, Heidi conditioned her physique through unrelenting exercises and several styles of martial arts. Finally, she stopped and stood at the center of the gymnasium. As she spaced out in silence, the droplets of sweat contoured her face when they rolled down. The mystery that surrounded Vincent's case troubled her. Through vivid retrospection, she managed to decipher few facts: the assassin is somehow connected to the five deceased bounty hunters, and his motive is vengeance. However, more questions remained unanswered.

When Heidi returned to the dorm, the Winx were still asleep. The fairy of warfare dropped her drawstring bag in the living room, grabbed a stack of fresh clothes, and entered the bathroom. Before getting into the shower, she removed her sweaty attire and placed them in the laundry basket. As the refreshing water poured down from the showerhead, she cleansed the sweat and dirt off of her hair and body. After she finished washing up, a sweet aroma of lush cherry blossoms and juicy peach escaped the shower. Heidi stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her body and stood in front of sink. She picked up the wide-tooth comb and brushed her wet platinum tresses. Suddenly, the moment she glanced at the mirror, she stopped combing her hair. She lowered the comb and stared back at her reflection in gentle surprise. For the first time, she saw a pulchritudinous figure in the mirror, not a cold-blooded killer.

The Winx finally woke up from their slumber and gathered in the living room.

"Good morning, Heidi!" exclaimed Stella.

Heidi gestured her head and acknowledged her and Winx's presence.

"How are you feeling, Heidi? Are you better now?" asked Bloom.

Heidi nodded her head. "Yes."

"Good to hear," said Bloom, with a smile of relief.

After the morning greeting, Heidi looked away from the girls and resumed back to her usual silence. The fairy of warfare had something to tell her friends, but didn't know how to come out and say it. If she announces the news, she will receive a huge reaction from the girls. It was now or never. Heidi decided to tell.

"I bear news to share," announced Heidi.

Everyone turned and looked at the fairy of warfare in curiosity.

"What news, Heidi?" asked Musa.

"Yesterday night, I contacted the CEO of Epitome Models. I accepted his offer to become a professional model," told Heidi.

The fairies stared at Heidi with stunned expressions. They didn't expect Heidi to take this opportunity so quickly. However, it didn't matter to them. As friends, they supported her decision. Especially Stella.

Stella squealed in excitement and hugged her tightly. "Oh my god! Heidi, I knew you would make the right decision! I'm so happy for you!"

Heidi appeared uncomfortable as Stella hugged her, but since this was good news, she leaved her alone.

"Congratulations, Heidi," expressed Layla.

"If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide so quickly?" asked Tecna.

"I would like to venture in this business and see what it is like. Also, I would like to be independent and earn my own money," told Heidi.

"Well, Heidi, whatever you decide we will always support you," said Flora.

"When do you start?" asked Musa.

"In three days," answered Heidi.

Stella finally pulled herself away from Heidi. "Then we're going to have to prepare you."

"Huh?" questioned the fairies, curiously looking at the Solarian princess.

"Heidi's going to need a portfolio, containing some polaroids and professionally-taken photos," explained Stella, sounding like an expert in the fashion business.

"That won't be a problem. With the technology I have, I can produce the same quality photos that fashion photographers take," said Tecna, confidently.

"Heidi, over the next three days we're going to work on your facial expressions, body pose, and runway walk," said Stella, "We've got a lot of work to do! Before we do so, let's go eat breakfast!"

The Winx nodded their heads and agreed to Stella's suggestion. Before they could help Heidi out, they needed to eat. The girls rushed over to the bathrooms and washed up. As they were getting cleaned up, Heidi silently sat on the sofa and waited patiently. Beneath the stoic demeanor she possessed, there was brimming resolution.

* * *

Four hours have passed since Vincent's training had started. In the beginning, the Specialists taught the amnesiac the basics in combat. Once he got the gist of everything, the real training began. Staying true to their words, the heroes did not play around. They constantly pushed him towards his limits, expecting him to transcend over them. Vincent sparred against the Specialists with everything he had. Timmy stood by the side and recorded the training process. The amnesiac evaded and blocked some of their attacks, but sustained some hits as well. Despite the aching pain, he got back up on his feet and continued to fight. Vincent gradually became tired as time passed. Due to exhaustion, he let his guard down and allowed himself to be attacked. The wooden sword flew out of his hand and the amnesiac was knocked to the ground. Before he could get up, he froze when he saw the tip of the wooden sword pointing at his throat. Vincent looked up and saw Sky standing in front of him with the weapon. The prince of Eraklyon gazed down seriously at the amnesiac. Seconds later, the expression on his face changed to friendliness. Sky lowered the wooden sword and lent Vincent a hand. The amnesiac smiled back and grabbed his hand to be pulled up.

"Are you alright?" asked Sky. Vincent nodded his head as he tried to catch his breath. "I have to admit, you did a pretty decent job."

"Really?" asked Vincent, looking surprised.

"I'm serious," said Sky, "You hung in there longer than we expected. You're also a quick learner."

"You surprised us, Vincent," said Brandon, coming over, "You're quite athletic and you performed few tricks that were unexpected. I guess those muscles of yours aren't just for show."

"Thanks, guys," appreciated Vincent.

Soon, the rest of the boys came over and joined the three.

"Vincent, you exceeded our expectations," admitted Helia, "Maybe you had past experience in combat."

"Maybe," replied Vincent, "If I really do, that would be so cool!"

"However, you still need more training. There are some things that need to be polished and fixed," said Helia, sternly.

Vincent nodded his head in agreement, "Alright."

Brandon wrapped his arm around Vincent's neck with a friendly smile. "Let me tell you, Vincent. After today, your body is going to be sore as hell for the next few days."

"I think I can handle that," replied Vincent, with an optimistic smile.

"Okay, that's it for today. Let's hit the showers now. Our sweat is engulfing the air in the gymnasium," suggested Sky.

The Specialists vehemently agreed on Sky's suggestion. Because of the intense training, the boys released a lot of sweat, which had spread across the air. The odor was quite unpleasant and made the boys slightly nauseous. The heroes quickly grabbed their belongings and went into the shower.

* * *

Back in Alfea, the Winx went to the art department after eating breakfast. They brought along the necessary materials to help Heidi before she starts her career: gadgets, clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup, etc. The girls entered the photography studio, the most appropriate place to shoot. After constructing the set, it was time to begin the photoshoot.

The first priority was polaroids. There are two types of these photos: dressed and undressed versions. The dressed version gives an idea of how the clothes will look and hang on the model; the undressed version (bikinis) is intended to display the model's body structure. Polaroids captures the model's true beauty and essence. Clients in the fashion industry look for models who possess certain traits that fit their needs. Physical characteristics such as stature, posture, shape, and color are important; however, it is the non-physical characteristics like attitude, aura, and appeal that shows a model's uniqueness and separates him/her from other people. With absolutely no makeup, Heidi stepped in front of the camera looking natural. Her outfit was very casual and plain: a white T-shirt, a pair of skinny jeans, and dark brown combat boots.

Tecna grabbed an instant camera and focused on Heidi. "Okay, Heidi. Look at the camera and relax."

Heidi understood Tecna's instruction. She loosened her tense muscles and faced the camera with a nonchalant and poised expression. Tecna began taking head shots, middle shots, and full length shots. The symmetry of Heidi's facial features displayed accuracy, her rosy beige skin lacked impurities, and her whitish-blonde hair appeared lustrous. Although the clothes she was wearing were simple and plain, they looked good on her. After finishing the dressed version of the polaroids, it was time for the undressed version. Heidi removed her clothes and revealed her black bikini underneath. Flora came over and grabbed the clothes from her. Once she was undressed, the photoshoot continued. Heidi's physique was undeniably statuesque and svelte. She possessed long limbs and well-toned muscles. Unlike other models, who starve themselves to look thin, Heidi eats very healthily and disciplines her body through intense training.

"Wow, Heidi is truly beautiful," said Flora, staring in amazement.

"Ugh, I cannot get over her body. I would DIE to look like that," said Stella.

"She's very lean yet curvaceous. Her body percentage must be less than twenty percent," pointed out Bloom.

"The power of beauty and fitness rules," said Layla.

Tecna finished taking the last few shots of polaroids and placed the instant camera to the side. "Okay, that's it for the polaroids. Now, let's plan what we should do for the next photoshoot."

Multiple fashion magazines were laid across the table. The Winx flipped through many pages and looked for inspiration. As the girls searched thoroughly through advertisements and editorials, they discussed with each other what would make Heidi's strengths stand out more. Thirty minutes later, everyone narrowed down to one picture. It was a black and white advertisement of Saint Vincent. The theme of the campaign was mysterious. It was perfect for Heidi.

While Tecna, Musa, and Layla were equipping and connecting the gadgets and props, Stella was utilizing her talents as makeup artist, hair stylist, and wardrobe stylist on Heidi. Bloom and Flora volunteered to assist Stella. The makeup will be cool and powerful. First, primer was utilized to allow the makeup to last longer and appear better; foundation, concealer, and powder were applied to even and correct her complexion; bronzer and highlighter were used to make an illusion of slimness and contour her sharp features; a nude rose blush was used to bring a natural glow on her glass-cutting cheeks; black eyeliner, voluminous mascara, and smoky black eyeshadow were administered to give her periwinkle eyes a more sultry look; last but not least, a rich wine lipstick was colored on her luscious lips. After putting on the makeup, it was time to style the hair. Stella, Bloom, and Flora worked on different sections of her hair to make the process go faster. They parted her hair in the middle, straightened it until there wasn't a single strand of bump, and sprayed hair essence to moisturized and glisten her hair. Once the hair was done, Heidi had to change into her first look. She wore only an oversized black blazer to cover her breasts, mid-waisted black leather hot pants, and over the knee black suede boots. After everything was taken care of, the final photoshoot began.

When Heidi stepped into the setting, Musa turned on the music to create an appropriate mood. Since the theme of the photoshoot was mysterious, the music was dark and elegant. Tecna grabbed an advanced camera and focused it on Heidi.

"Okay, Heidi. Give us power and sexiness!" demanded Stella.

Heidi stared intensely at the camera and used the angles of her face to exude cool seduction.

"Beautiful! Don't forget to use your body!" reminded Stella.

Heidi maneuvered her body into variety of cool and artistic poses, which oozed class and sensuality.

"Major, keep it up!" exclaimed Stella, throwing her arms up in exaggeration.

"This girl is having way too much fun," mumbled Layla, referring to Stella.

"Well, this is her forte after all," Musa whispered back.

The Winx were surprised yet captivated by Heidi. From the beginning, she used to be very awkward and uncertain in front of the camera. Now, she appeared to be very comfortable and graceful. Little to the girls' knowledge, Heidi extensively researched and studied about the fashion industry. As the photoshoot continued, Heidi constantly changed into different looks and her makeup retouched several times. From many people's perspective, fashion modeling appeared to be glamorous and fun; however, in reality, it is very painful, cruel, and tiresome. Knowing what she might and will face, Heidi did not waver. She experienced the true depths of agony and cruelty from where she originated. Over the years of torment, she became numb to it. The harshness that she will face in the industry will be nothing to her.


	22. Celebration

**Well, it looks like all the action will have to come later.**

**Hope you guys will be patient until that time comes.**

**Enjoy and review!**

* * *

The photoshoot ended in success; however, it was far from over. Out of all the chic photos taken, the Winx must decide which of the best ones will enter the portfolio. Once the fairies organized the pictures in a neat fashion, the selection began. As the girls examined and compared meticulously, they were beginning to narrow down to the most outstanding images. After two hours of this process, the Winx finally finished the job. The girls cheered and praised each other for their hard work.

"Phew, we're finally done!" exclaimed Musa, throwing her arms up in the air.

"It's already 17:00. We've been in here for eight hours," said Layla, stretching her arms.

Stella jumped over to Heidi and gave her a tight hug. "Oh, Heidi! I am so proud of you! You were breathtakingly fabulous!" Heidi replied in silence, but gestured her head in appreciation. Stella pushed herself away from Heidi and asked, "Where did you learn how to pose like that?"

"When I was considering on taking the offer, I made my research on modeling," told Heidi.

"Well, you certainly did your research correctly because you looked like a pro!" said Musa, giving her a thumbs up.

"Thank you for assisting me," said Heidi, expressing her gratitude to everyone.

"We're more than glad to help," said Flora, with a sweet smile on her face.

"Also," added Heidi, with a tint of guilt, "I apologize for putting you all through this arduous task."

"Heidi, we're friends. Friends help each other out no matter what," reminded Bloom.

Heidi nodded her head and acknowledged the fact.

"Girls, now that we're finally finished with the photoshoot, let's go out and eat dinner!" suggested Stella.

"Definitely! We skipped lunch just to get great results from the photoshoot," said Musa, rubbing her growling stomach.

"Tonight, we will celebrate Heidi's becoming of a model! I'll do the honors to pay," said Stella. The girls, except Heidi, cheered happily. "Where do you girls wanna go?"

"I'm in the mood for fusion cuisine," said Layla, which the majority of the girls agreed to.

"The best restaurant for fusion cuisine is Spectrum. It's located in the northeast of Magix," informed Musa.

"Okay, fusion it is," said Stella, "Also, let's invite the boys too. The more the merrier."

The Winx cleaned up the set, packed their belongings, and left the studio.

* * *

At Red Fountain, the Specialists were out in the arena, teaching Vincent how to ride the wind rider. In the beginning, the amnesiac had difficulty maintaining balance and control. Sky, Brandon, Riven, and Nabu tried to suppress their laughter whenever Vincent fell. However, Riven was unable to hold it any longer and bursted out laughing. Vincent keenly stared at the insensitive hero. Nabu hit Riven in the chest to stop him from laughing. Helia, the most mature member of the group, helped Vincent get back up on his feet and taught him until he got it right. After few hours, Vincent rode wind rider with ease.

"Yeah, Vincent! Go!" shouted Timmy.

Vincent responded to Timmy's support by raising his fist in the air as he drove. The rest of the Specialists smiled and applauded at his improvement. Finally, the amnesiac stepped on the brake and stopped in front of the heroes.

Vincent took off his helmet and looked at the boys with curiosity. "How did I do?"

"Much better than before," replied Sky.

"The beginning was pretty rough, but in the end you managed to get the hang of it," said Helia.

Riven came over to check the wind rider's condition and suddenly he snickered. "Damn, you got scratches all over it!"

"Hey, quit mocking him. He just started," said Brandon, "Besides, we can repair it."

"Ignore Riven. He can be such a douche," said Sky, whispered to Vincent's ear.

"I noticed," murmured Vincent.

Timmy felt his phone vibrating inside his pocket. He pulled it out and noticed he received a message from Tecna. The geeky hero tapped the screen to open up the message. After reading his girlfriend's message, he grabbed the boys' attention.

"Hey, guys! I got a message from Tecna! She said that the girls are going out to eat dinner and we're invited," informed Timmy.

"Out to dinner? Where?" asked Nabu.

"Spectrum," replied Timmy.

"Oh, the restaurant that serves fusion cuisine! That place is awesome," commented Brandon.

"Where and what time are we suppose to meet the girls?" asked Sky.

"The girls want us to meet them in front of Alfea at 18:30," said Timmy.

Brandon looked down at his wristwatch and said, "That gives us plenty of time to get ready."

"For us, yeah, but not the girls. They take forever to get ready, especially a certain blonde princess," said Riven, referring to Stella.

Brandon couldn't help but agree with Riven. Out of all the members of the Winx, Stella took the longest time to get ready. She cared too much about her appearance.

"Okay, guys. Let's head back in and get ready," suggested Sky.

* * *

"Stella, hurry up! The boys are going to arrive really soon!" alerted Bloom.

"Hold on, I have to finish putting on my makeup!" said Stella, carefully applying mascara on her long lashes.

"Stella, we're not going to a ball. We're just going out to eat," said Tecna, looking slightly irritated.

"I have to look fabulous no matter where I go," said Stella, annoyed that the girls are trying to rush her.

Tecna threw her head back when she groaned and left the door frame. "I give up!"

In the living room, Heidi sat down on the sofa in between Musa and Layla. Unlike the rest of the girls, who dressed and looked stylish, the fairy of warfare appeared simple and plain. She was wearing the same attire from the polaroids and absolutely no makeup. She did not bother to take the time to dress fashionably and apply makeup. When Stella finally came out of her bedroom, she looked at Heidi in shock.

"Heidi, why aren't you glammed up? A model like you should start being more chic!" ranted Stella.

"Stella, we don't have time for that! She looks fine!" said Bloom, pushing her towards the door.

After waiting for the Solarian princess to get ready, the fairies left their dorm.

At the front gates of Alfea, the Specialists were waiting by their wind riders. Several feet away from them, they saw the Winx coming out of the residence hall. The heroes caught their attention by calling out their names and waving their hands. The Winx, except for Heidi, rushed over to their boyfriends and greeted them with hugs and kisses.

"Hello, Brandon!" greeted Stella, in her flirtatious tone.

"Hey, sunshine, I missed you" Brandon greeted back, giving her kiss in the cheek.

As the couples continued their intimate conversations, the fairy of warfare stood three feet away in aloof silence. Vincent noticed the towheaded beauty and looked at her. The moment he laid his eyes on her, the rate of his heartbeat increased. The allure of her presence was very strong even from the distance. With his tri-colored eyes, he was looking at a living masterpiece, a magnificent sculpture. When Heidi darted her periwinkle eyes at Vincent, the amnesiac immediately turned around and pretended that he was not looking at her. He grabbed his heart and breathed deeply. It was a close call. If he had been spotted, he would have been considered a weirdo.

"Okay, since we're all here now, let's go," said Sky.

The girls placed the helmets over their heads and sat behind their boyfriends. Heidi, on the other hand, awkwardly stood in the same spot. Vincent turned around and looked at her.

"Uh, do you want to get on?" Vincent asked nervously, holding up a spare helmet.

Heidi stared at him in silent suspicion.

"Don't worry, Heidi. He won't bite you," teased Brandon.

"I don't think Heidi's the one we should be worried about," mumbled Nabu.

"Vincent's a good driver. He practiced really hard and learned pretty quickly. You can trust him," assured Sky.

"As long as he doesn't crash," snickered Riven. After that comment, Musa slapped him in the back of his head. "Ow!"

Since the rest of the girls are getting rides from the boys, Heidi finally gave in. The fairy of warfare took the helmet, placed it over her head, and got on the wind rider. Suddenly, Vincent felt his muscles tense when Heidi wrapped her slender arms around him. His heartbeat began to race faster than before. All of his nerves were concentrated on his abdomen. Also, he could smell the sweet fragrance of lush cherry blossoms and juicy peach. Vincent sat on the wind rider in frozen state, blushing.

"Vincent, what's gotten into you?" asked Brandon.

The amnesiac finally snapped out of the trance and looked at the squire in curiosity. "Huh?"

"Are you sick? Your face is really red," Brandon pointed out.

"Oh, no! It's nothing! It's just really hot," lied Vincent, violently shaking his jacket.

Stella, who noticed Vincent's strange behavior, formed a cheeky grin on her face.

"Okay, then. Let's go," said Brandon, taking Vincent's word.

Vincent placed the helmet over his head and started the engine.

Finally, the Winx and the Specialists departed Alfea.

* * *

Up in the northeast of Magix, the group finally arrived at their destination after fifteen minutes. They parked their wind riders at vacant spots outside of Spectrum. It was a two-story fusion restaurant, which was very popular to mainly young adults. The couples held each others' hands and entered the restaurant. The waiter led the group of fourteen in a private room, where Tecna had called to reserve. Much to their liking, the room was modern and spacious. The stylish furnitures were comfortable and the vibrant walls were soundproof, which meant that they could make a ruckus without bothering other customers. After they sat down and ordered their meals, the fairies and heroes conversed.

"Vincent, you surprised us," said Riven, "You managed to drive here without crashing into anything."

"Cut it out, Riven," said Sky, with a serious look.

"What? I'm just giving him my compliment," said Riven, defending himself.

"Guys, there's something we want to tell you," said Bloom, with a bright smile.

"What is it, Bloom?" asked Sky.

"Heidi decided to give modeling a shot," announced Bloom.

"What?!" shouted the surprised Specialists, except for Vincent.

"Heidi decided to give modeling a shot," reiterated Bloom.

"Are you serious? Heidi's going to be a model?" asked Sky.

"Yeah, she is. That's why we came out here for dinner, to celebrate!" exclaimed Stella. The Solarian princess rummaged through her designer bag and pulled out Heidi's portfolio. "These are the photos we took today. Take a look!"

"You brought the portfolio with you?!" questioned Tecna, with a hint of surprise.

"Of course! We need men's opinions too!" said Stella.

Brandon grabbed the portfolio from Stella's hands and opened it up. "Whoa!"

The rest of the boys huddled over to where Brandon was sitting and looked at the portfolio.

"What do you think? Do you guys like it?" asked Stella.

"Oh, I'm definitely liking what I see," grinned Brandon, focusing his attention on the curves of Heidi's half-exposed breasts. Knowing what the squire was looking at, Stella and some of the Winx and Specialists began to mildly beat him. The rest sat back and laughed. "Ow, hey! Stop!"

"You pervert!" accused Stella, hitting her boyfriend with the closed portfolio.

Layla sighed, "All men are the same."

After punishing Brandon, the group returned to reviewing Heidi's portfolio.

Sky, who had the portfolio in his hands, commented, "These black and white photos look like ads for Saint Vincent."

"That was our inspiration!" exclaimed Bloom.

Sky threw on his fist up in mid air and exclaimed, "Oh, yeah! I guess it right! I'm amazing!"

"Shut up," said Riven, who harmlessly hit Sky in the back.

"If these were really advertisements, men will stop and drool," said Nabu, with a chuckle.

"What camera did you use to take these pictures?" asked Timmy, "The quality is incredible."

The majority of the group rolled their eyes at Timmy, who only thought of technology.

Helia took the portfolio away from Sky and looked at it meticulously. "These polaroids are well-taken; Heidi's distinctive features are clearly shown in them. The black and white photos are very powerful; the facial expressions are sensual and her poses are very elegant."

"You can also feel that badass spirit coming from the pictures," added Nabu.

"However," said Helia, making the majority of the girls' smiles disappear, "I think it would be essential to Heidi out of her comfort zone and show more serenity and femininity in her work. Versatility is much needed in this kind of business."

"Damn, Helia! Where did you learn all of that?" questioned Riven,

"Modeling is another form of art. Without versatility, the aesthetic value is worthless," said Helia.

"I agree. I think we should do another photoshoot with a different theme," said Tecna. Suddenly, Stella gasped dramatically and enlarged her amber eyes. "Did you just have brainstorm moment?"

"I just thought of an amazing idea," said Stella.

"Let's hear it," said Layla.

"Tomorrow morning, we should head out to the lake and shoot there!" said Stella.

"Oh, a nature photoshoot sounds wonderful," exclaimed Flora.

"It's going to be ultra-feminine and serene!" said Stella, smug about her idea. The girls nodded their heads and agreed. "Heidi, how does it sound to you?" Heidi shrugged in indifference. "Okay, we're gonna go for it!"

Heidi stood up from her seat and opened the door.

"Heidi, where are you going?" asked Bloom.

"Restroom," replied Heidi, closing the door behind her.

After Heidi left the room, Stella looked over at Vincent. The Solarian princess noticed that he was peeking at the open portfolio from the distance. He wanted to take a look, but he was too shy. Stella formed a grin on her face and thought of an idea. She grabbed the portfolio from Helia's hands, bolted up from her seat, and scurried over to Vincent's side. Vincent jumped in surprise when Stella sat down next to him.

Stella opened the portfolio in front of his face. "Vincent, what do you think of these photos?"

Because Stella displayed the portfolio right in front of his face, Vincent had no other choice but to look. When he laid his eyes on the first picture, he was instantly enthralled. The first photo was a headshot. Vincent scanned the headshot with so much focus. It seemed like the headshot was staring back at Vincent like a real human being. Out of all the great features Heidi possessed, he was mostly drawn to her eyes. Heidi's eyes were full of mystery. To Vincent, she was just otherworldly. The amnesiac gently took the portfolio from Stella's hands and flipped through the pages. He took the time to relish the beauty of his towheaded savior.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" asked Stella.

"Yeah," replied Vincent, with a smile on his face.

Stella knew it. Vincent was attracted to Heidi. He was in love with her. His delicate smile exposed it all.

"You like her, don't you?" asked Stella, with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah...WHAT?!" shouted Vincent, staring at Stella in stunned shock.

Vincent unintentionally answered her question truthfully. He was caught off guard while he was being mesmerized by the photos. Right now, he felt shock and embarrassment.

"You like her!" exclaimed Stella, jumping off of the seat. Stella squealed and stomped her heels in excitement. Then, she pointed her finger at Riven in haughtiness. "Ha, I told you so, Riven! My instincts were right!"

"Dude, you really like Heidi?!" asked Brandon, stunned.

Vincent couldn't speak at all. He was too stunned and embarrassed that he answered her question. All he did was look down on the floor with a blushing face and scratch the back of his head.

"Vincent, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. You can tell us," assured Bloom, trying to alleviate the tension around the amnesiac.

"I don't like her," Vincent finally spoke, "I mean, I do like her, but not in a romantic way! I just see her as someone who saved my life. I'm just indebted to her, really!"

"Whatever you say," grinned Stella, in a high pitch tone.

When the door opened, Stella hurried back to her original spot with the portfolio and pretended to look normal. Heidi entered the room casually and sat down on her seat. By the time she returned, the waiter finally arrived with the food and champagne. Once the waiter placed the food on the table, he left. Sky popped the champagne open and poured it into everyone's empty glasses.

"Okay, everyone! Let's a have a toast to Heidi, for accepting the great opportunity that was given to her," announced Sky.

Everyone held up their glass of champagne and mildly clashed them together. "Cheers!"

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, despite there being no action.**

**Just to let you know, I went to Winx Wikia and found out that the characters' appearances were inspired by celebrities. So, after learning about this fact, I decided to do the same thing with my OC's.**

**Heidi is based off of Sasha Pivovarova and Gemma Ward, two supermodels.  
**

**Vincent is based off of Gackt, a very popular J-rock artist.**


	23. The Love Confession

**Quick update! I feel so motivated now!**

**Enjoy and review! If you're liking this story, follow or favorite!**

**If there are errors in this chapter, I might change it.**

**P.S. if you want to see the inspirations for Heidi and Vincent, go to my profile and click on the links.**

* * *

The Winx and the Specialists were having a great time at Spectrum, enjoying the fusion cuisine and drinking champagne. Since the heroes will be driving, they consumed little bit of the champagne. The Winx didn't drink much either, but Stella and Musa became intoxicated. The two decided to let loose and have some fun. Both of them sang and danced around, entertaining everyone in the room. Despite being drunk, Musa sang very well; however, her dancing was a little off. Stella, on the other hand, began to get risque. She complained that it was hot in the room and attempted to take her clothes off. Bloom and Flora immediately bolted up from their seats and stopped her from doing so. Then, Stella wobbled over to Vincent, who jumped at her presence. When the Solarian princess began to talk about his unrequited love for Heidi, Vincent choked on his champagne and panicked. He attempted to stop her, but she persistently continued. The amnesiac eyed over at Bloom and Brandon for help. The fairy of the dragon fire and the squire quickly came over to help him. By the time they fetched the giggly Stella, she stopped. Vincent turned around with a frightened face and looked at Heidi. Surprisingly and fortunately, Heidi wasn't pay attention to anything that was happening in the room. She appeared to be lost in her thoughts. Finally, the Winx and the Specialists decided to call it a night and go back. Since Stella was too drunk, Brandon chivalrously volunteered to pay for the bill. After the squire and the daredevil guided their girlfriends back on the wind riders, everyone departed as a full group.

Once they arrived at Alfea, the Winx invited the Specialists over to their dorm for a brief visit. Brandon and Riven carried their drunk girlfriends to their bedrooms and carefully laid them on their beds. Stella and Musa had passed out in the middle of the ride back. This caused quite a scene because they almost fell out of the wind riders. Heidi and Layla volunteered to carry their intoxicated friends back to the dorm, but the boys refused. They told them it was a boyfriends' duty to do that. After their private and intimate moments, the remaining couples hugged and kissed goodbye. The Specialists exited the residence hall and got on their wind riders. Before leaving Alfea, the Winx came out to the balcony and waved. The boys smiled and waved back at them. Vincent looked up and focused his attention at Heidi. He wanted to grab her attention by calling her name and say goodbye to her. However, after his accidental confession, he cowered down and quickly placed his helmet over his head. Brandon noticed his actions and smiled. The Specialists started the engine and departed.

When the Specialists returned to Red Fountain, they gathered together in the empty lounge and conversed.

"Phew, that was one helluva night!" said Nabu.

"It was quite interesting," said Helia, "Especially when Stella and Musa became intoxicated."

"Oh my god, that was so funny and chaotic!" laughed Sky, covering half of his face with hand.

"I felt so bad for you two," said Nabu, looking over at Brandon and Sky with a grin on his face.

"Holy shit, I freaked out when Stella almost fell out of my wind rider. That was so dangerous," said Brandon.

"Hell yeah, it was dangerous! Musa loosened her arms around me and almost fell too," said Riven.

"Well, it's a good thing you two have fast reflexes. You caught them before they hit the heads on the road," said Sky.

"Hey, Vincent! Good job driving tonight," praised Helia.

Vincent smiled and thanked him.

"Speaking of driving, I saw Timmy swerve several times," said Nabu.

"I was slightly intoxicated," said Timmy, rubbing one of his temples.

"Are you serious?! You didn't even drink that much!" shouted Riven.

"To be honest with you guys, I have low tolerance for alcohol," admitted Timmy.

Everyone, except for Helia and Vincent, laughed. Timmy looked down in shame. There was an unwritten law that if guys can't hold their liquor, they're not considered men. After a minute of laughing, the guys calmed themselves down.

"It's okay, Timmy. You're still growing. Later ahead, you'll be able to drink more," assured Sky.

"Honestly, I found it really cute when Stella got drunk," Brandon returned to the previous subject, "Despite chaos and danger that was involved, it was a good experience. It gave me the chance to really look after her and protect her."

"I understand how you feel, man," said Riven, with a small smile on his face, "Even though Musa was drunk, she looked so free and lively. To see her that way just makes me feel content."

After hearing the two boys talk about their girlfriends, Vincent formed a small smile on his face. The Specialists had girlfriends, whom they were deeply in love with. Because of their love, they appeared to be happy. Vincent wished to experience true love as well.

Brandon turned over to Vincent with a mischievous grin. "So, Vincent. When did it all start?"

Vincent stared at Brandon in curiosity. "Huh, what are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about!"

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about."

"Your burning desire for a certain fairy whose name starts with a H."

Vincent enlarged his eyes in shock, finally knowing what Brandon was talking about. "I thought I already told you, guys! I don't feel that way towards Heidi!"

"Oh, cut the crap, Vince! Just admit the fact that you're in love with her!" said Brandon, widening his grin.

"You're starting to become like Stella!" accused Vincent.

"They're a couple. They have their similarities," said Sky.

"There's no shame in confessing your feelings, Vincent. You can tell us. We're friends," assured Helia.

Vincent stayed silent. He was conflicted whether or not he should confess or make up more excuses. Since he already knew that he was a terrible liar, he decided to speak the truth.

"I feel embarrassed to talk about it. It's kind of cheesy," said the nervous Vincent, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, come on! Just tell us," said Sky.

Vincent looked over to the Specialists and pouted his lips. "Cross your heart that you won't laugh!"

"We won't laugh," assured Brandon.

"Promise?" questioned Vincent, unconvinced.

"Oh my god, just get on with the freakin' thing!" yelled the irritated Riven, "So annoying..."

Vincent sighed and began. "Back at the island, I was dying. I didn't know why, but I knew that I was going to die. I couldn't feel anything anymore. Not even the cold tides of the ocean. Finally, I lost consciousness and fell into darkness. However, I started to see a ray of light. Then, that ray of light broadened and burned away the darkness that surrounded me. Instead of the pitch black, I was blinded by white light. Suddenly I smelled this something floral and sweet, and I also felt a slender finger trace my face. I questioned myself what it was. Gradually, my vision began to return to its clarity. When I finally regained my sight, I saw the most beautiful creature. I questioned myself if I were in heaven. I thought she was an ethereal nymphet. Before I lost consciousness again, it was at that moment that I fell in love."

"Ah, love at first sight," sighed Brandon.

"I feel like I'm in a really good storytelling session," said Nabu.

"I think you're just infatuated with her because she's pretty," said Riven.

"She's sublime!" emphasized Vincent, correcting Riven's understatement, "She's perfection! She has this whitish-blonde hair that shines and cascades beautifully, a svelte body with long and graceful limbs, and a complexion free from impurities. She also has these facial features that take your breath away: her attractive nose, her luscious lips, her stunning cheekbones, and her eyes..." Vincent rose up from the couch, walked around slowly, and sighed happily. "Her eyes are what captivated me the most. I could stare at them forever."

"You know, perfection is a pretty strong word to throw around," said Riven, believing and knowing that Heidi was not actually perfect.

"What are you talking about?" asked Vincent, looking at Riven in shocked curiosity, "She can sing, dance, and most of all fight. There isn't anything she can't do!"

"Really? You don't think there's ANYTHING imperfect about her?" questioned Riven.

"Well, I guess there's one flaw about her," said Vincent, "I'll admit that she's kind of cold and distant."

"Heidi may not be very expressive, but that doesn't mean she's heartless. We all know that she cares about us and the girls," said Helia.

"We're practically her only family to her," said Sky.

"What do you mean by that? Doesn't she have parents or siblings? What happened to her real family?" asked Vincent.

"Uh, it's a very complicated matter," said Brandon.

"Remember what I said before, Vincent. If you really want to know about her, you have to ask her yourself. However, she needs trust you first," said Helia, rephrasing what he had told him back at the island.

"I really admire Heidi," said Vincent, "I really do, but..."

"But what?" asked Brandon.

"I don't think she feels the same way about me. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't," said Vincent, somberly.

"Hey, what happened to your optimistic spirit?" asked Nabu.

Vincent sat back down on the couch. "On the day we were attacked, Heidi got hurt because of me. Because of my own fear and weakness, I caused her harm and danger. She probably thinks of me as a coward."

"Don't beat yourself over that, man," said Brandon.

"That assassin was after me! I should have fought my own battle, but instead I cowered like a fool and allowed Heidi to get hurt," said Vincent, balled up his hands into fists.

"You really need to stop blaming yourself over that. Besides, you're underestimating Heidi," said Sky. Vincent looked over to the prince of Eraklyon in curiosity. "Heidi's not your ordinary girl. She's the fairy of warfare, well-suited for combat. So, enough with the blame and start feeling grateful that you're alive."

"I want to become stronger," said Vincent, with a look of determination, "The main reason why I'm pushing myself is because I want to fight my own battles and defend myself. Also, I want to repay Heidi for what she did for me. When I become stronger, I'll confess to her about my feelings and protect her with my own strength."

"Vincent, let me give you an advice," said Riven, leaning off against the wall, "Forget about Heidi and find someone better."

The Specialists turned around and faced Riven in shock. They knew that he was brazen, but they didn't expect him to say something so cold.

"What?! Why?!" asked Vincent, surprised to hear his advice.

"What you feel for her isn't love; it's just a passing infatuation. You're just enamored by her beauty and the mystery that surrounds her" explained Riven, "Once you get to know her, the mystery you glorify so much will be gone. There will no longer be excitement added to your pursuit anymore. Also, those feelings of yours will fade as well. Heidi's not the type of person you envision. There's more that meets the eye, Vincent. In the end, when you find out about her, you'll end up in disappointment." Vincent silently stared at Riven in curiosity and contempt. Riven stood up from his chair. "Don't take this the wrong way. I'm just saying this because I don't want you to get hurt."

After giving his harsh advice, Riven left the lounge to return to the dorm. Helia got up from the couch and followed him. Vincent was left in shock. He was angry that Riven told him to forget about Heidi. However, he was suspicious as well. Why was Heidi unsuitable for him? Is there something dark about her? What could it be?"

Before Riven entered the dorm, he heard someone call out his name. Riven turned around and saw Helia. Helia approached him with a serious look on his face. The pacifistic hero stopped three feet away from him and glared.

"Don't you think that was too cruel to say?" questioned Helia.

"I just gave him a good advice, what's the problem with that?" Riven questioned back.

"Your view on this matter is rather harsh and pessimistic. As a friend, shouldn't you encourage him?"

"Helia, did you already forget? Remember back to what I said at the island. Heidi's not ordinary. She's a genetically-bred specimen with suppressed emotions. For eighteen years, she was trained to become a tool of war. She was born with the purpose to fight. What will Vincent think of that when he finds out? He'll be frightened and scarred. His romantic view of Heidi will shatter." Helia stood silently and softened his glare. "I'm just being realistic, Helia. What I do is out of good intention. It's better to leave this relationship nonexistent."

Riven entered the dorm and closed the door behind him.


End file.
